Dorami Lives Again!
by JadedBanana
Summary: An alternate timeline fic where Saki takes the helm of leader, but in a bit of a different way than Sakura is hoping.
1. The Awakening

"There's no way in hell I'm dying."

The final words of her friend rang through Reiko's mind over and over again as she looked off the ledge into the inferno that was formerly Saki Nikaido and her bike. She could feel her heart pumping; the blood it coursed through her body was hot, steaming from the heat of the moment. The air around her was thick, diluted with the harsh texture of smoke and gasoline fumes, making it impossible to breathe. Her mind was twisted in an array of emotion and speculation as to what had happened to her other half. In the span of a second, an hour had passed. She could hear her crew yelling behind her, but she didn't care. She stared down into the blazes that housed Saki's final moments. "Saki!" she cried, hoping that, somehow, by some bizarre twist of fate, her friend would rise from the flames and tell her to cut it out.

But it was no use. The Saki Nikaido she knew and loved was gone.

* * *

Saki's eyes shot open as her ears were pierced with the sound of three girls screaming in terror. She stared up at the ceiling, slowly taking in what was happening.

"What is this?" A teenage voice asked.

"Somebody, please, do something!" Another requested.

"I'm scared!" A child's voice yelled.

Saki sat up and yawned. Seems like she had fallen asleep on the floor. She noticed that she was wearing some usual everyday clothes, but they weren't hers.

"What's going on? What's all the commotion?" A woman beside her asked.

Unlike the girl next to her, Saki didn't really care what was going on. She felt great. Refreshed. "That was a good nap." After finally regaining her senses, she turned around to face the source of light in the room and found a girl standing in the doorway.

But something was off about her.

Okay, now she cared what was going on.

* * *

Saki found herself, along with the other girls who had also awoken, in a basement that felt more like a jail cell. After being told she was a zombie, she had been led down here and told to take a seat. The chair she took was super uncomfortable, though, and it was really cold. Though, she couldn't tell if the area was cold or if it was just her zombie-ness making her cold. One thing was for sure though: she was really starting to get pissed. _What the hell is all this about?_ she thought to herself, looking over her now green hands. She crossed her arms. None of the other girls except Sakura, as she called herself, seemed to have any idea what was going on.

The girl next to her let out a moan and rolled her head.

She glared at the girl, who was dressed in a long black robe and honestly looked like she came out of a dumpster, then turned her head back towards the front and stared at the wall. _This is bullshit._ She looked back at the girl to her left, who was still letting out a soft groan. _What the hell is with this braindead idiot?_

Just then, the metal door across from her creaked open and a man walked in. He was tall, sporting sunglasses and a vest. He wore a jacket, but only on his shoulders. It flowed loosely behind him. He stopped in front of the chalkboard near the front of the room. "Well, ladies, congratulations on waking up."

She stared at him blankly. _Who is this guy?_

He began to walk towards them, eventually getting in the white-haired girl's face and screaming. "I SAID CONGRATULATIONS!"

 _Wow, this dude's a dick._

The white-haired girl shuddered before him.

He stood back up, turned, and walked back to the front of the room smugly. "I am the mysterious idol producer, the amazing Koutarou Tatsumi! And that being the case, you are all going to become idols to save Saga!"

 _Saga? Saga needs saving?_

"And boom!" He hit the board, revealing a drawing that read "Ultimate Idol Legends".

Saki decided now was a good time to check out. As the dude kept on talking, she looked over to find the girl to her left was now eating her own hair quite loudly. She folded her legs up onto the chair, watching the man explain his whole plan. Once it seemed like he had finished his spiel, she decided that she was going to ask something. "So, like… I don't get any of this."

He looked at her and smiled. "Oh, what's up, Saki?" He walked towards her and stopped in front of her.

 _Don't address me like that, you idiot. You don't know me._ "I died, right? So how come I'm not dead?" She held up her hand and bent her fingers. A gross snapping sound was made.

"What, you seriously don't know?" he asked condescendingly.

"Huh!?" She clenched her fist and scowled at him angrily.

"Use your head for a second!"

"Like I said, I don't know what the hell-"

He bent down and got in her face. "BECAUSE YOU'RE A ZOMBIE! YOU'RE A ZOMBIE, SO YOU'RE UP AND ABOUT, OBVIOUSLY! WHAT KINDA NORMAL HUMAN HAS A GREEN FACE?!" He grabbed her by the chin and wiggled her head around.

She smacked his hand away. He was really starting to get on her nerves.

"Listen up. You all died and became zombies, and zombies have no place in our modern society!"

 _Heh, that's what they say about bikers, too._ Suddenly, an idea popped into her head and her eyes lit up with inspiration.

He slammed down on the desk in front of the chalkboard. "I'm offering you freaks a place to belong by turning you into idols, so you dumbasses better appreciate it! So, if you zombies are going to be idols, what are you going to need the most? Go ahead, Sakura!"

Now was a good time to check out again. She pondered the thought she had. _What if? If I could find someone else's bike-_

"IT'S KEEPING THE FACT THAT YOU'RE ZOMBIES A SECRET, YOU STUPID FREAKING ZOMBIE!" The man's yelling interrupted her train of thought. He pulled out a laptop. On it, he played a short video full of clips from zombie movies of zombies being brutally murdered.

She got a massive grin on her face. Her plan now had even more traction. _If I'm a zombie… that means that I can't die… or at least it's really hard to kill me. Plus, it makes me even scarier…_ She leaned over and put her hands on her knees and pondered for a second.

"I get that we're zombies now, but I don't get why we have to be idols."

Saki's thinking stopped for a second as she picked up the sound of disagreeing with an authority figure, which she loved. She looked to her right to see one of the girls who was screaming when she woke up now staring at him with her arms crossed. She was coated from head to toe in bandages and had black hair with yellow flowers dispersed throughout. She looked uncertain.

"To save Saga!"

"Revitalizing a prefecture as local idols? In Saga?"

"What, are you scared?"

The girl's uncertain look turned to frustration immediately. "It's obviously not going to work. Looking like this and trying to save Saga… and I'm not even from Saga!"

 _Oh damn, you gotta try Drive-In Tori!_

He laughed. "Saga doesn't sweat the details!"

"Huh?"

"Even if you don't know a damn thing about it!"

"Hey, I know about Saga!"

"Why don't you tell me what you know?" he asked mockingly.

The girl sat straight up. She looked caught off-guard. "It's… in Kyushu!"

"Oh, very impressive! That was super good, Ai-chan!" He said, maintaining his mocking tone.

"Well, what exactly do you know about Saga, then?!"

As she watched the two of them bicker, Saki's idea grew into a dubious plan. This Ai girl looked like she, too, hated the idea of being an idol. If she could get her on board, maybe even more, she could just pick up where she left off and the asshole manager's plan would fall apart. _I'd like to see the look on his face when he sees what I have planned…_ She popped back to reality when he started yelling again. She was getting more used to it though, so it didn't really catch her off-guard.

"You wanna know stats, look it up on Wikipedia!" He turned back to face them, gesturing angrily. "Or is that what you think?! You think I'm Wikipedia?! Nope! Nope!"

 _What the hell is Wikipedia?_

"I'm the guy who's gonna make you into idols, Koutarou Tatsumi-san, that's me!" He stared at them for a moment, regaining his cool. "I chose you all, and I know that you will send shockwaves through society as Saga's idols. The first step for that occurs tomorrow at Saga Castle, when you participate in the Shachi-no-mon Public Concert."

"This is so clearly not going to work…" Ai muttered.

"That's not clear at all! You just have to pull it off, like yesterday's show."

 _What? Yesterday?_

"Wait, what are you talking about?"

"You all had the house jumping. Right, Sakura?"

Everyone turned to look at the girl in the middle who had led them here.

"Huh? Uh, sorta… sure."

 _She is really sucking up to Shades here, huh? I bet she wouldn't be on board with this. I should totally see this Ai girl, though. She might like what I've got in mind._

Shades, as he was now called, smacked the board. "Now, let's get cracking on those lessons!"

* * *

Saki watched as Koutarou and Sakura stepped and practiced their stupid little dance moves. _There's no way in hell I'm taking this seriously,_ she thought. She glanced around the room at the other girls, who were all excusing themselves from practice. _Neither are they._ She yawned and laid down on the ground, shooting one last glance at Ai. _I should talk to her sometime when we're alone… but right now, I could really use a nap._ She let her eyes close and drifted into a peaceful sleep. When she opened her eyes, she wasn't in the studio anymore. She looked around to find that she was lying on the ground near a wooden balcony overlooking a massive ledge. It was the middle of the night. She knew this place. She climbed to her feet and gazed out at the city lights and soon recognized them as Karatsu's. _Wait a second, this is-_

The sound of engines revving behind her cut off her train of thought.

 _No…_ She turned around to see a girl in a red coat lined up against a girl in a black coat. Each of them were leaning forward, preparing to launch. She was in their path.

"Three, two, one! Go!" The two bikes peeled out, speeding towards the dreaming girl.

She stared down her past self as she sped toward the railing. In a mix of disappointment and anger, she scowled. _You idiot._ She stepped to the side and watched herself do a wheelie through the barrier and off the edge.

She seemed to hover in the air for a moment as time slowed down, then began her descent. Her hands slipped from the bike and she fell into the trees.

She looked away and felt the warmth of the fire erupt behind her. She closed her eyes and shook her head. _Damn it…_ She reopened her eyes to see Reiko run up beside her.

"Saki!"

Saki's heart skipped a beat. That was the last thing she had heard before she died. Her eyes shot wide open and she looked to the mourning girl. _Oh my god,_ she thought. _Reiko!_

"Saki!"

 _What… what happened to her after…_

"Saki!"

 _No… Reiko…_

"Saki!"

 _Reiko, I'm…_

"Saki!"

Saki shot up, taking staggered, heavy breaths. She brought one of her hands up to cover her eyes as the bright lights of the idol studio blinded her. After a moment of letting her eyes adjust, she turned to the side to see Sakura kneeling over her.

"Saki-chan, the lessons are over. It's time to go inside."

She stared at her, trying to shake herself from the hyper-realistic dream sequence. After a moment, she regained her composure and looked up at her. "Yeah, whatever. I'll be in in a minute." She watched as Sakura stood up and walked out. She took a deep breath and put her hands on her knees before giving herself a new mission. _I gotta find Reiko._

* * *

Several hours later, Saki laid on her bed, observing the other girls in the room. The tall one was brushing her hair in front of a makeup mirror, the young one was reading a book, and the white-haired one was being chased by the hair-eating one on either side of the child. The one she knew, Ai, was sitting on a couch in the corner, tightly grasping onto a pillow. The kiss-ass sat herself down near her, also seeming to be observing her surroundings.

Saki looked at her menacingly. _Maybe I should figure out what she's thinking,_ she thought. _She might be more useful than she looks._ She slowly sat up and rested on her haunches, leaning over in a menacing squat. "Hey!"

The girl turned to her with a gasp.

"You're Sakura, right?"

"Y-yes…"

"Where you from?"

"Huh?"

 _Is she dense?_ "I'm asking what middle school you went to!"

"Uh… well, I don't remember."

 _You don't remember? Yeah, right._ She stood up. "You screw with me and I'll kill you, got it?"

"I-it's true, I really don't remember anything from before I was a zombie!"

 _Nothing, huh?_ She put her hands in her pockets and paced before her menacingly. "Man, just remember it! Make yourself remember!" She got back down on her level as the girl shook in fear. "And why the hell are you taking this seriously? You some kinda goody two-shoes?! You want an ass-kicking?!"

"Not exactly… It's just… since we have a show to do…"

 _Maybe I can convince her._ "We oughta do a rally." She put on the most serious face she had to show her that she wasn't screwing around.

She clearly didn't take it as well as she hoped, as tears were now forming in her eyes.

 _Okay, she's officially useless._ "This is so… damn it! I bet my Tamagotchi is dead by now." She stood up and walked away. _Telling her that might have been a mistake._ She sat back down on her bed and put her hand to her chin. _I've gotta get out of here, but now I've got both her and Shades to worry about…_ She looked up to find that Ai had disappeared, leaving the pillow behind. _Oh, now's my chance!_ She got up and backed out of the room silently, soon finding her way to a dark hallway. She snuck around the mansion quietly, looking for the black-haired girl. She kept it quiet, as she didn't want to be caught sneaking around, but made herself apparent enough to catch the eye of someone who wanted to be alone. After a few minutes, she had sifted her way through all the rooms on the second floor so she quietly descended to the ground level. Suddenly, she heard movement and she turned to watch a shadowy figure go to the door leading to the porch. _Ai!_ She looked from around the corner and was very disappointed to see that it was Sakura again. _Damn, what's she doing?_

"Ai-chan? Ai-chan, are you around?"

 _Crap, she's looking for her, too! I gotta get to her before she does!_ She quickly scanned the area for a place where Ai could be hiding, but decided to stay where she was and wait for Sakura to leave so she could search the backyard herself without being detected.

Just then, there was a scream, not unlike the one she had heard this morning. Sakura gasped and ran outside.

 _Damn it._ She put her nose to the window to watch what was happening in the yard.

Sakura had already gotten to her.

 _Damn it!_ She gritted her teeth in defeat then squinted as a third figure caught her eye. Wait _a second, the white-haired one is there, too. The hell is that coward doing there?_

They both stood up and said something that made Sakura surprised. Ai began to climb over the fence.

 _Crap, don't escape without me!_ Saki rushed over to the door, but soon noticed that Sakura had torn her from the fence. They seemed to be talking. Sakura turned her back to her and she jumped back onto the fence. _That's the kind of quick thinking I like,_ Saki thought with a smirk. She sunk back into the shadows. _Let's see where this goes._

* * *

Saki was in a low squat, following the three zombies from a distance. They had been walking for quite a while now and had even gotten into town. She knew exactly where they were, but they didn't seem to. They had been talking among themselves for quite a while now, just out of earshot. Sakura clearly didn't like what was being said, however, as she kept getting visibly surprised by each thing one of the girls said. Saki had been creeping along behind them, hiding in foliage and around corners.

Finally, the three of them made a right turn and Saki couldn't see them anymore.

 _Crap, I have to catch up!_ She stayed low, but kept swiftly moving. Just then, a car rolled around the corner. _Crap, it's probably a bad idea to let them see me,_ she thought. She stopped and hid behind a small bush.

The car was driving quite slow, actually.

She squinted. _What are they doing? Are they prowling?_

The car rolled to a stop at the corner where the girls had turned.

 _Crap!_ She watched as three teenagers got out and started dancing toward where they had gone. She creeped up and watched from behind as they attempted to flirt through rapping. _Okay, you got some thugs. What are you gonna do about it?_ She smiled in anticipation then watched in disappointment as the three of them began to walk away. _God damn it,_ she thought. _You'll be good for overthrowing Shades, but we gotta work on your decision-making._ She got up and slowly started approaching the boys from behind.

"Don't." A voice snapped Saki out of her funk and she turned to find Koutarou standing behind a corner. It seems that he was following them too, but he was much better at it as she hadn't detected him either.

She gritted her teeth. "Stay out of this, Shades! This has nothing to do with you!"

"This has everything to do with me." He spoke more softly than before. She couldn't tell if it was because he was being sincere or if it was because he was trying to keep a low profile.

She looked back at the boys just in time to see a police officer walk into the scene. The three girls had been backed into a corner. "Crap, it's a cop," she whispered.

"Yes," he replied.

She glared up at him. "You aren't gonna do something? What about that 5-second zombie montage?"

"They have to learn somehow."

"Officer! Please, help!" one of the three girls cried.

They both looked just in time to see Ai walk into the light, clearly revealing that she was a zombie.

"Ai-chan, don't!" Sakura yelled, following her into the light.

The four men screamed in terror.

Saki watched as the policeman reached for his gun. Her mind went blank as she jumped to her feet and ran toward him instinctively.

"Saki, no!" Koutarou yelled.

 _Shut up, Shades! If you're not gonna do anything, I'll just do it myself!_

The policeman let out a loud grunt as he was drop kicked in the back. His gun slid across the concrete to Ai's feet.

Saki landed on top of the policeman with a quiet grunt then immediately stood back up to punch one of the rappers in the face.

The rappers quickly took notice and looked over just in time to witness her knock the leftmost one to the ground with a quick kick to the back of the knee.

The middle rapper held his hands up. "Hey, wait-" He was cut off as she grabbed his arm and pulled him into a knee strike, sending him straight to the ground.

As she stood above the three men, she looked at the last one, stuttering and shaking in fear. "Leave. Now."

The rapper bolted, leaving his friends and the police officer behind. He jumped back into the car and sped off into the night, screaming the entire time.

Saki stood, staring at where the car once was. _Huh. Lame fight._ After a moment, she turned to face the three girls who had snuck out and smirked. "You're welcome."

The girls all stared at her in awe.

She snickered to herself. _Let's see how you handle this, Shades._


	2. The Invitation to Ride

Saki was awoken by a light tapping on her shoulder. She opened her eyes to see who was messing with her, but she couldn't see anything except a pair of glowing red eyes looking down at her in the dark. Needless to say, this was surprising. "What the hell?!"

"Shh! Be quiet! You wanna wake everyone else up, too?"

She realized that these eyes belonged to a girl and soon relaxed. "Right, sorry. Whaddya want?"

"I want to talk about what happened back in that alleyway earlier."

She groaned. "Can it wait? I'm tryna get some sleep here."

"No, we need to talk while Tatsumi is asleep."

"Who?"

"The producer."

"Oh. Him." She sighed as she sat up. "Fine, but make it quick." She took the hand of the girl who had awoken her and let her pull her to her feet and lead her out the door. She walked throughout the house, bumping her shoulders on corners of walls and trudging her feet across the light carpeting. She blinked rapidly, trying to get her eyes adjusted to the dark. The girl led her up a spiral staircase and into the attic, where cool moonlight bled in through the window. With the light illuminating the room, she was able to recognize the girl who had led her up there as Ai.

They both took a seat and stared at each other for a moment before Saki took a deep breath. "So, what did you want to talk ab-" She was cut off as Ai put her face into her shoulder, shaking. She looked down in surprise. "Hey, hey, hey, the hell is this?"

She quivered. "I can't believe all that's happened…" she said softly.

She looked up. This wasn't what she had in mind for her one-on-one talk with her. "Yeah, it's pretty crazy…"

"I don't want to do this… why couldn't I have just stayed dead?"

She stared down at her silently with her mouth agape. She wasn't totally sure what to say.

"I don't want to be some sort of freak! Did you see the way those guys reacted when they saw us?"

She nodded. "Yeah."

"I was terrified… I didn't know what to do… but then you showed up and…" She stopped shaking for a second and looked up at her, suspicious. "Wait. Why were you there?"

She took a deep breath. Guess t _his is as good a time as ever…_ "Well, I noticed you left and I wanted to talk to you about an idea I had. But then that goody-two-shoes got to you first but I figured I would follow you and-"

"Were you listening to us?"

"Uh, well, I was too far away to hear anything you were saying."

She looked down and pulled her knees into her chest. "I was saying that I really didn't want to be in an idol group of zombies and that Sakura girl was trying to talk me into it…"

"Yeah, I noticed you weren't exactly on board with the whole thing in the basement."

She looked up. "You mean the dungeon?"

She shrugged. "Well, yeah, basically."

She looked to the side. "Well, I mean, how are we supposed to be idols? We're zombies!"

"Yeah, I'm not on board with it, either."

She looked back toward her and sighed.

"Even if I wasn't a zombie, this whole idol thing is stupid. I wanna get back to doing what I do best: whatever the hell I want." Saki chuckled as she stood up. "And now that I'm a zombie, I can do that even better, right?"

The sitting girl lowered her eyebrows in confusion. "What are you saying?"

"What I'm saying is that I'm working on a way outta here. I wanna go back to being a badass biker chick, zombie or not. And you got the guts to do it, too." She extended her hand.

"Wh-what?!" she yelled. "Are you serious?" Her eyes darted around the attic frantically.

"You got guts! Yelling at Shades and climbing that fence even though that egghead was following you? Sure, it's not much, but it's enough to get started! C'mon! Idol stuff is stupid! It would never work out as zombies! Now zombie bikers, that would be cool, huh?"

Ai stared at her in disbelief.

 _Okay, this isn't working._ She tensed up and retracted her hand. "I mean, it's fine if you don't want to. That's fine. But let me know soon. I'm not planning on sticking around much longer." She glanced down at her one last time then walked back down the stairs, leaving her alone with her thoughts. When she reached the bottom, she turned and saw the white-haired girl staring at her. "Eh?! What are you doing there? Were you listening? You wanna die?" she asked angrily.

Her expression changed to one of instant terror. She clutched her chest in fear. "W-well, I…"

"Huh? Spit it out, Marshmallow!"

"I-I w-wanted to thank you for what you did back there."

She immediately loosened up. "Oh." She waved her hand. "It was nothing. Don't worry about it." She walked past her and started going back down the hallway toward the bedroom.

"Wait!"

She stopped and turned around with a glare. "What?"

"You're planning on leaving, aren't you?" she asked.

She squinted. "Yeah, I am, don't go telling anyone or else I'll-"

"I want to, too."

She frowned. _Don't cut me off, dumbass. I'll kill you._ "Yeah, I know, I saw you climb that fence."

"W-well, I mean, if you have a plan…"

She slowly walked toward her, putting on her menacing expression. Her entire aura changed in an instant to be significantly more terrifying. "I didn't invite you, Marshmallow. I invited Bandages up there. Don't go sticking your nose where it doesn't belong."

The girl was frozen in fear, her breaths quick and small.

She turned back around and stuck her hands in her pockets. "Tch!" She sulked back around the corner toward the bedroom again. _Bandages has 12 hours before I just get outta here without her._

The girl caught her breath, looked toward where Saki went, then climbed the stairs to the attic.


	3. The Escape

The following morning, Saki found herself being dragged into the studio again. This time, she stayed awake, observing the other girls; recruiting, in her eyes. She watched as Sakura danced to Koutarou's clapping. _Why is she going along with this? This is so stupid. What's the point?_ _Definitely don't want her to interfere. She's Shades' pet._ She turned to the three girls sitting on the sidelines, none of whom were putting as much effort into it as Sakura but were nonetheless still going along with it as far as she could tell. None of them were very notable to her, and one was even a child. _They won't do anything when given the chance. I won't have to worry about them._ She looked to the two girls who had approached her the night before, who seemed to be talking among themselves with occasional quick glances toward her. She squinted in suspicion. _Why's Bandages talking to_ _Marshmallow?_ She gritted her teeth and glared at them before standing up and walking out the door. "Tch!" _I should've known Bandages would chicken out._ _Like hell am I gonna let you two stop me._ She moved down the hall to a second door which led outside and made her way across the small walkway back into the house. _Now's a good time to plan it all out._ She hadn't actually looked into every room in the house, and now seemed like a good time to hunt for anything that might help with her escape. She turned a corner and peered into a room. It looked like a standard laundry room, with just a washer and dryer. _Nothing good here. Guess I'll-_

"Saki."

She turned around to see Ai standing behind her. After a second of processing, she scowled. "What the hell do you want? Can't you see I'm busy here?"

Her face shifted to one of determination, the same one that had caught Saki's eye in the first place. "I want to go with you."

A wide grin spread across her face. "Hell yeah! Alright, help me look for resources! We're gonna-"

"Hold on! I wasn't finished!"

She stopped where she was and glared at her. "What now?"

"I want to do it. Not because I particularly like being a biker, but because I don't like being a zombie idol. I consider it the less terrible of the two options."

She shrugged. "Well, whatever. I don't care why you're doing it as long as you want to."

"But I'll only do it on one condition."

She squinted in suspicion. "What's that?"

"She's coming with us." She pointed to the white-haired girl who had been hiding behind a corner just out of view.

Her gaze slowly turned to the third zombie and she stared at her for a long moment. _Marshmallow? You seriously think I'm just gonna let her mooch off of us?_ She glanced back at Ai with a frown. "You don't get to decide who joins and who doesn't."

"She wants a way out just as much as I do. You don't get to decide who leaves and who doesn't."

"Tch!" _Damn it… I guess it's worth a shot. Maybe she's got some secret guts she's hiding or something._ She looked at the white-haired girl, who had stepped out from behind the corner and was now walking closer. "Hey. Marshmallow."

She stopped. It was obvious she was terrified. "Y-yes," she whimpered.

"Huh? What's that? I wanna hear you loud and clear," she jeered. She put her hand to her ear.

"Y-yes!" she replied, louder.

She walked up to her and stood mere inches from her, puffing out her chest and putting her face very close to hers to help with intimidation. "You think you got what it takes to do a jailbreak, huh? You got guts?"

"Y-yes, I do," she said.

"Well I haven't seen it. You haven't stood up to any authority as far as I know."

She looked away. "W-well, Tatsumi-san is very scary and-"

"So? You gotta deal with scary people everyday when you're in Dorami! I wanna see your guts! Why don't you stand up to someone scary!"

She looked back at Saki, now frustrated. "I can and I have! I just-"

"Well? Huh? Where is it? Where's the guts you say you have, huh? Where's th-" Her rant was cut off as a slap crossed her face. She caught herself before she fell and turned to look at the girl who had smacked her.

"I am Junko Konno! And I'm going, too! I have the guts!" She was now more triumphant looking than anything with her head held high and her pride on display.

Ai stared at her with her mouth agape.

Saki took a step back with a hand on her cheek and blinked. _Okay, yeah. Secret guts._ She took a second to recuperate from the slap then straightened back up with a defeated smirk. "Alright. You can come with us."

She nodded graciously. "Thank you."

Now that that was over, she removed her hand from her cheek and took a deep breath. "Okay, uh… do either of you know what Wikipedia is?"

* * *

"Okay, let's go, go, go, go!" Koutarou shouted as he herded the girls into the car, waving his arms extravagantly as he did so.

Saki glanced at Junko, who nodded very slightly. She also looked at Ai, who eyed her back. They each slowly made their way to the back of the line together. For their plan to work, they had to be seated as close to the door as possible. The line inched forward slowly as girl after girl climbed in and before long, all three of them were able to climb in together. They noticed that the seating arrangement allowed for only two of them to sit in the second row beside the door as the braindead girl was already buckled into one of its seats for some reason. The other had to sit in the third row of seats. Before Saki knew it, Junko and Ai were already buckled in next to each other. _Oh, great._ She sighed and sat in the third row next to Sakura. She could hear her gulp.

Once they were all situated, Koutarou started the van. With a simple three-point turn, he pulled out onto the road and started chugging along toward his destination. Little did he know, it was only a matter of minutes before his entire project would go completely haywire. The trip was mostly silent, aside from Ai and Junko whispering very quietly to one another and the occasional groan from the hair-chewing girl.

Saki crossed her arms and sulked in her seat as she impatiently waited for the part where they jumped out of the van. She noticed that Sakura was staring at her out of the corner of her eye. "What?"

Her eyes widened with fear and she threw up her hands to help explain. "I-it's nothing! It's just…" she sighed and gave her a pleading look. "You don't want to try and do it? At all?"

She turned to her with nothing but disdain in her eyes. "Hell no."

"I think that if you gave it a shot, you'd really like it…"

"I don't wanna give it a shot, damn it."

She stared at her sadly for a moment then looked back forward. "So what are you gonna do, then?"

A devious smirk grew across her face as she turned back to the door she would be jumping out of shortly. "You'll see."

"Huh?"

She chuckled quietly to herself, refusing to give the girl a solid answer. _This oughta be good._

After what seemed like forever, Koutarou took a left turn onto highway 203, where there was a bridge over the Matsuura river.

Saki could feel her heart beating and she grinned as the time finally came. _Alright, l_ _et's do this._ She lifted up her leg and kicked the back of Ai's seat as hard as she could.

Immediately, she stood up and pulled the door open. Junko also stood up, grabbed her hand, and jumped out. The two rolled onto the pavement alongside the road and disappeared from sight.

A chorus of screams erupted from the back of the van.

Saki stood up and also rushed towards the door, but was stopped by someone pulling on her arm. She turned to find Sakura tugging on it with all her might. "Hey! What the hell?!"

"What are you doing, Saki-chan!?"

"Isn't it obvious!? I'm leaving! Let go of me!"

"No! You don't know what you're doing! Just stay here!"

She looked out the back window of the van to see the Junko squeezing her eyes and nostrils shut and plunging off the side of the bridge. _Crap! I gotta hurry up!_ She glared back at her. "You don't know anything, do you?! This'll never work! Just let go of me!"

"No!"

"What's it to you whether I stay or go?! Just let me go!"

"No! I won't let you-"

Suddenly, Saki's arm popped off past the elbow and her built-up force suddenly had nothing pulling her back in. Her and Sakura's eyes widened as she went flying out the van and landed on the sidewalk alongside the street, rolling across the ground for a few seconds before coming to a stop. "Ugh… damn, that hurt way more than I thought it would…" She propped herself up on one arm and rubbed her now aching head for a moment. Or, at least, she tried to. "Crap! My arm!" She looked back at the van, which was now braking, and rose to her feet. _Damn it! Stupid zombie body!_ She started sprinting after it, now enraged. "GIMME BACK MY ARM, YOU-"

"Where's Saki?!" Junko's cry of worry from below could be heard faintly.

"I don't know! I thought she was right behind us!" Ai replied.

Saki froze where she was and looked down at the water to see the two girls' heads bobbing up and down, heading toward the underside of the bridge. _Aw, crap! If I don't get down there soon, then…_ She shot another look back at the van then glanced down at the water again with a sigh. _Damn it._ She took a few steps back to get at least a little bit of a running start then rushed forward and hurled herself over the balcony. "INCOMING!" she hollered at the top of her lungs, pulling her knees into her chest and wrapping her remaining arm around them to make a cannonball. She plunged into the water quickly and loudly, making a huge splash as she did so, and soon started kicking her way back up to the surface. Before long, she'd found air again and started taking deep, quick breaths. She brought her new stump up out of the water and observed its new flat end. "Damn it… I really liked that arm."

"Saki! Over here!"

She perked up at the sound of her comrade's voice and soon caught sight of Junko's fluorescent head. "On my way!" she called back, picking up her swimming. She stroked over to where they were and started treading water beside them. She gave them both a proud smile. "Hey, you did it! Nice work!"

Junko turned toward her, a slight worry in her eyes. "Saki-san, we made a mistake. This river flows north, not south."

She snickered. "Eh, that's not so bad. We'll figure out a way." She held her new stump out of the water. "Besides, we've got bigger problems than location."

* * *

"So that's it…" Sakura mumbled, watching the three figures go downstream.

"I knew they weren't content with the situation, but I didn't think they would be willing to go this far…" Yuugiri commented.

She looked down at the arm that she had stolen from Saki, which was lying limply in her hand. After a moment of silent shock, she turned to Koutarou. "What are we going to do now?"

Koutarou stared into the water, stoic as a stone. If he was being honest with himself, he probably didn't know either. All he could do was gulp.


	4. The Escapees

Three kilometers downstream from where she had jumped in, the bandaged, undead hand of Ai Mizuno gripped the shoreline of the Matsuura river. Using all the strength she had, she pulled herself forward, dragging her lifeless body onto the grassy sidelines of the river. She laid there on her chest panting for a second before rolling over, rising to her feet, and leaning over with a hand stretched back toward the water. "Grab on!"

Saki gripped onto her arm at the wrist, using her raw strength to pull herself and the corpse of Junko out of the river and onto the bank of the river. The two _plopped_ down in the grass and rolled over, a deep breath escaping each of their lungs as they looked up at the sunny midday sky of Karatsu. After a long minute of silence, Junko propped herself up on one arm and moved her head around in an effort to understand where they were. This was fruitless, though, as she had never even set foot in Saga until after her death, so she knew nothing of its geography. She turned to the only girl with the relevant knowledge questioningly. "Um, excuse me, Saki-san, but you wouldn't happen to know where we are, would you?"

She shrugged. "I dunno. Somewhere in Karatsu, I guess. East side of the river."

"Never mind where we are!" Ai worried. "What about the plan?! We were supposed to go south, not north! And what about your arm?!"

She raised her stump over her head and inspected it for a second. "Eh, sure it's a problem, but it's not really a big deal." She grunted as she sat up then rose to her feet. "Right now, we should get going. We don't have all day." She turned around and extended her remaining arm to help Junko up off her feet and soon started walking inland with her by her side. "The arm does feel kinda funky, though."

Ai sighed. As the plan had gone haywire, she wasn't so sure about her decision to go with them anymore, but she figured that sticking together was the best way to survive. After all, there's safety in numbers. She jogged to keep up with them.

Junko's head swiveled around as if on a pivot as she took in the scenery surrounding them. "I think we're in a park of some kind."

"Huh, you think so?" Saki questioned. "What makes you say that?"

She brought her arms up and pointed to each thing as she described it. "Well, there are trees over there and a footpath this way… but I'm not sure, still."

"Let's just follow the path for now, then," Ai suggested.

The three started walking along the predefined path. "So," Junko started, "Do we have a new plan?"

"Well, first thing on our list is probably getting us some bikes," Saki answered. "That's probably the most important part."

She turned to her with an uncomfortable look on her face. "Perhaps a change of clothes is in order first? I mean, look at us. We look ridiculous." She wasn't wrong. Each of them was wearing a pastel color t-shirt and a frilly skirt that Koutarou had forced them to don prior to getting in the van. Saki's missing appendage was as clear as day.

"You have a point…" she noted. "We should get moving before someone sees us. C'mon!" She started running down the path, followed by the other two. She crossed a bridge, made her way through a little patch of forest, and emerged in a field. From a quick observation, she caught her first glimpse of civilization she'd seen in a while. "There's a stoplight! We'll probably be able to figure out where we are now. And from there, we can find a store and get some new clothes!"

Ai paused for a moment then gasped as she remembered something rather urgent. "Wait, we don't have any money! How will we be able to buy anything?"

Saki slowly turned to stare at her for a quiet few seconds then burst out laughing. "Wait- wait! Don't tell me you were actually expecting us to pay for that stuff?!"

Junko was alarmed. "W-wait, we're going to be stealing? I don't want to do something like that…"

"No- no, you gotta be kidding me!" She brought her hand up to her face and chuckled into her palm. "You guys realize we're homeless, right? Haven't you ever been homeless before?"

The two former idols shot each other a concerned glance then slowly shook their heads. "No." "I'm afraid I can't say I have."

"Okay, lemme break it down for you." She brought her hand back to her chest level and gestured as she explained. "When you're homeless, let alone when you're a zombie, society's out to get you. It's gonna chew you up and spit you back out. If you don't learn to suck it up and fend for yourself, you're dead meat."

"But we're already dead…" Junko mumbled.

"Yeah, yeah! You get what I'm sayin', though, right? You gotta learn to steal to survive! Being homeless makes you either toughen up or kick the bucket."

The two girls stared at her in silence for a moment. "Saki… have you… been homeless before?" Ai asked.

"Eh, it was a long time ago," she shrugged. "Let's not worry about it."

"So… you know what you're doing, right?"

"Yup."

"What if what happened last night happens again?"

"It won't."

"How can you be so sure?"

She paused for a moment and stared ahead. _How can I be sure…?_ She wasn't sure. She wasn't sure at all. Here she was, homeless, disabled, and a creature of horror films. She may have known how to steal to survive, but being a zombie…? She had no idea what she was doing on that front. But she couldn't tell them that. They needed a leader. She gave them a confident look. "Trust me, if anything goes wrong, I'll take care of it. Just like I did last night."

She locked eyes with her for a few seconds then gave an obedient nod. "Alright. I'll follow your lead, then."

Junko nodded as well. "Me, too."

"Good, now let's go." Saki turned around and passed through a bush, ending up in the field before them. Keeping her body low, she made her way across, disappearing into the brush on the other side with the two others right behind her. She quietly maneuvered through the light forest before coming across the final obstacle between her and the intersection she had seen: a single long hedge. She squatted down behind it and peeked over. To her dismay, there were six cars lined up at the red light. _Crap, it's kinda busy…_

Ai peeked over as well and gave her a concerned look. "We can't go now. We might get seen."

"Yeah, I got that, genius!" she snapped back. "We'll wait for the light to change then go!"

"And then what?" Junko questioned.

She peered down the street and grew an optimistic smile as a neon sign caught her eye. "There! See that pawn shop? We can stop there and grab some clothes!"

"A pawn shop? Why would we be able to buy clothes at a pawn shop?" Ai squinted.

"Why wouldn't we? Don't they sell clothes super cheap?"

"I think you're thinking of a thrift shop," Junko clarified.

She stared straight ahead for a few seconds before turning to her in confusion. "Wait, there's a difference?"

"Seriously?" Ai remarked.

"Who's there?" an unknown voice yelled suddenly.

All three of them froze where they were and their current conversation flew out their heads as they looked up to find a couple who had been walking in the park who were clearly under the suspicion that someone was watching them. "Uh, don't worry! We're just messing around in the woods!" Saki yelled.

"What? How many of you?"

"Uh, three?"

The man of the two visibly frowned and leaned forward slightly. "You sound a little old to be messing around in the woods! What's going on back there?"

Saki stared at him then shot a glance toward the other two. "Do they think we're…" She gestured obscenely.

"O-oh…" Junko blushed and looked away.

"We're camping!" Ai yelled back, thinking quickly.

"Camping isn't allowed in this park! Come out here!" One of them had become agitated and she began approaching the girls.

"We'd rather not!" she replied, her voice raising in urgency.

"Just what are you three doing in there?" She made eye contact with Junko. "There you are! What do you have to say for… your…self." Her voice trailed off as she processed the physiognomy of the girl. Then a piercing scream erupted from her lungs.

"We gotta get out of here!" Saki yelled, pulling Junko up. Ai had already started running by the time she had gotten to her feet and the three of them now found themselves sprinting across the street, much to the surprise of the drivers and passengers of the cars on the road. They passed the pawn shop and kept on running, no destination in mind as they quickly escaped their second encounter with their former species. As they passed building after building, they garnered themselves more and more looks and more and more screams. After what felt like an eternity of sprinting, they finally reached a four-way intersection already having run over a kilometer. They all stopped to catch their breath, screams of terror still erupting around them. "We've gotta hide somewhere!" Ai decided.

"Where?!" Saki yelled back.

Junko, however, was not asking questions. She'd started running toward a nearby building, jaywalking as she did so.

"More people? What is she thinking!?" Ai screamed.

"No time! Just follow her!" Saki replied, grabbing her by the wrist and dragging her along.

Junko threw open the glass front doors of the store she'd found and ran inside, making a sharp turn to disappear from public view.

The other two were hot on her tail and they each grabbed one of the doors and tossed it aside, slamming each one into its respective doorstop. Then they both kicked off and followed her, taking the same sharp turn she did and immediately spotting her in the corner of the store. "What are you doing in here? We can't be seen in a shop like this one!" Saki whispered loudly as she marched toward her.

"Can I help you girls with anything?" A voice behind them asked.

They turned to see a woman who seemed to be in her twenties. Ai and Saki winced and clenched their eyes shut, awaiting the inevitable screaming bound to commence.

"Oh, we're just browsing, thank you," Junko replied calmly.

The two slowly opened their eyes. _Huh?_

"Wow, you girls really know how to pull off a convincing cosplay!" the clerk gushed. "You look incredible! I'm absolutely shaking in my boots!"

 _What? Cosplay? Boots?_ She looked down. The girl was wearing sandals.

"Thank you!" Junko smiled back. "We worked really hard on them."

"Well, it's nice to see people so good at it," she replied. "I can't remember the last time I saw one this good. Well, anyways, let me know if you need anything." She turned and walked back to her desk.

Ai glanced at Junko and raised an eyebrow. "What just happened?"

"This is a cosmetics store. She thought we were cosplayers," she answered with a cunning smile.

Saki let out a relived sigh followed by a proud grin. "Damn, girl! Way to think on your feet! We can totally wait out the shitshow outside from in here!"

"Actually, that won't be necessary. I have a plan." And with that, she strut confidently up to the counter as if she wasn't a walking pile of rotting flesh and bone.

She watched the girl execute her plan and couldn't help but grow a small smirk. _Bringing her along was the right call._

* * *

"Yes. I'm so sorry for any inconvenience this has caused you," Koutarou said, his calm, gentle voice creating a false illusion of security. "Thank you for your understanding. I hope to work together again in the future. Goodbye." He turned off his phone and slipped it back into his pocket then leaned forward on the railing before him slightly, staring straight ahead into the waters of the Karatsu bay. After the whole bridge incident, he had immediately taken the remaining girls back to the house. Each of them were naturally shocked by the events that unfolded on the bridge, but he couldn't let them be seen by other people who were also running over to watch the three zombies float down the river. And so he was forced to bring them back home with a tense, silent car ride. After arriving back at the mansion, he silently walked into the house and onto the back porch.

The girls in question were seated in their shared bedroom, watching him think through the room's rear windows. "Do you think he's going to be alright?" Yuugiri questioned.

"I'm more concerned about Saki-chan, Ai-chan, and Junko-chan," muttered Sakura. Her hands and nose were practically pressed against the class as she was quite anxious and also quite bad at hiding it. "I can't believe they would just run away like that…"

"Well he was pretty mean to them," Lily piped up.

"Well, yes, that's true…" she noted. They, along with herself, were the only ones Koutarou targeted the morning they woke up. "But I don't think that's enough to set them off…"

Koutarou opened the door and marched back inside. He glanced at the girls, who were now staring back at him, paused for a moment, then kept walking, eventually reaching the other side of the room and exiting through the door.

"I wonder what he thinks about all this," Yuugiri pondered aloud.

Sakura slumped down onto the floor. "This is all my fault," she whimpered. "I should have told him what happened last night…"

"What happened last night?" Lily questioned.

She glanced toward the child. "I was there for their first escape attempt. It was a disaster. There were rappers and a police officer and the officer pulled a gun. We were nearly killed… again. It was awful."

She looked down and tucked her knees into her chest. She seemed to regret asking.

"If I had just held on a little better, they wouldn't have gotten away…"

Tae moaned. She hadn't been fed any squid in hours. She was starting to go through withdrawal symptoms.

Yuugiri put a hand on her shoulder. "Nonsense. Regardless of how hard you had held her arm, it still would have come off."

Sakura looked away. "That's not really what I meant… I didn't mean for that to be taken literally."

She smiled. "Neither did I."

She turned towards her with a curious look. _What?_

"Seems they were going to escape regardless of what we did to combat it."

 _Oh, come on._ She swiped the courtesan's hand off her shoulder and turned away. _That's not true and you know it._


	5. The First Conflict

"Thank you! Please come again!" A voice exclaimed from inside the store as the three of them left.

"Wow, we look really good!" Ai exclaimed loudly.

"I know, right? I simply love it!" Junko said back.

"Yeah, we look… great…" Saki said unenthusiastically.

"Saki, that's not going to work. You need to be more excited or else people are going to realize we're actually zombies," Junko lectured her.

"Ugh." She took a deep breath. "Wow, I just love how realistic this makeup looks!" she yelled.

"That's the spirit!" Ai smiled.

 _This is fucking stupid._ She held up her fake smile as she looked down at the bags on her arm. _I thought there was gonna be makeup, but we just got bags to put on our arms to act like we bought shit so people think that how we naturally look is makeup._ She sighed. _This'll never work._

"We look incredible with all this makeup!" Ai yelled.

"Oh yes, it makes me so happy to look this scary out in public!" Junko replied at a normal volume.

"I can't wait to try this at the convention next week!" Ai practically screamed.

"Jeez, you really gotta shout it like that? I get that you're trying to make it obvious, but I'm gonna get a damn headache," Saki glared at her.

"Oh, sorry, I'm just trying to play the part."

 _Tch._ She looked around. A lot of people seemed to be staring at them, but none of them were screaming. _Well, it's an improvement, I guess._

"How far is the clothing shop?" Ai asked.

"Thirty minutes or so," Junko replied.

"We gotta keep this up for thirty minutes?" Saki moaned.

"Perhaps longer, if we can't find anything to mask our faces…" she said.

She sulked. _This sucks! When are we gonna get to the real stuff?_

Ai sighed. "Whatever. Let's just keep up the act."

"I simply love how realistic our costumes look!" Junko gushed.

"Yeah, they sure are realistic! I mean, look at us! Aren't we scary?" Ai asked rhetorically.

"Absolutely terrifying!" Saki replied.

"I love dressing up in public! It's such an exhilarating experience!"

"And we have bandages and stitches and stuff! Super realistic!"

"Yup! We got all these bandages to hide how disgusting we are underneath!"

Ai glanced uncomfortably at her. "That's a bit harsh, don't you think?"

Saki looked back over her shoulder. "Huh? I mean, I have bandages, too, so…"

She rolled her eyes. "Yes, but that was uncalled for. I'm not exactly a fan of this body, you know."

She stopped and turned around the rest of the way. "What? I was talking about my own damn scars. I got some pretty gross burns under these. Have you looked under yours? It's pretty crazy."

She sighed with anguish. "I have. Just please think about who your words might affect before you say them out loud."

"I wasn't even talking about you!" she scowled.

"You were being awfully general, don't you think?"

"You two, please, stop," Junko pleaded.

Ai stared at Saki for a second then turned and continued walking.

Saki watched for a second before starting to walk herself. _She's gonna be a real problem sooner or later…  
_

* * *

After what felt like an eternity, the girls finally arrived at the clothing store. Their bag trick had surprisingly worked out fairly well. While they got plenty of weird looks, they only made four children cry and only had to run from one person.

"It just looks so good on us!" Saki said for the sixtieth time. Her voice was hoarse by this point.

"I think we're good, we made it," Ai said.

She wheezed. "Thank god… I'm not used to talking so damn much…" She looked at Junko. "I hate this plan. I could have made a better one."

"Well, maybe you should have, then," Ai snapped back.

"Both of you, please calm down," Junko requested. "We're already past that. We should be fine once we get clothes from…" She looked up and read the sign. "Uniqlo?"

"Yes, it's a clothing company that sells somewhat high-end things," she explained.

"So we're stealing super expensive, high-end clothing?" she asked nervously.

"It's better not to think about it."

The girls entered and looked around. "First things first, grab some sunglasses. The bigger the better. The eyes are what give us away the most." Ai ran for the sunglasses rack.

"Really? I thought it was the skin…" Junko said.

"Well, your skin is actually white in a lot of places, so I think most people would just assume you're really pale if you wore some pants and gloves. Saki and I have a lot of bandages over all our skin, so we just look like we're injured. I think the eyes are what really give us away. Remember how those guys in the alleyway didn't freak out until they saw our faces?"

"Oh, I guess that makes sense…"

 _Jeez, they really keep calling the shots…_ Saki stared at them. _Acting like they're the boss_ _… Damn it! I'm the boss!_ She grabbed a pair of sunglasses off the rack and slipped them on angrily. _Why the hell haven't I been doing anything?!_

"Okay, good, now we need to get the rest of our outfits. Let's get to it."

* * *

Saki stood with her arms crossed outside the dressing room. Or her arms would be crossed if she had two. Instead, she had her left arm spread across her chest and her loose sleeve laid on top of it. She was the first to find her choice of outfit: a scarf that covered her mouth and nose, a red puffy combat jacket, a black t-shirt, a single black fingerless glove, red stretch jeans, and black knee-high boots. It wasn't a perfect rendition, but it was a fair attempt at recreating the look she had back when she was alive. _Glad they had all this kinda stuff in stock,_ she thought to herself. She was lucky to have been revived in the middle of Spring right when thick clothing had started going on clearance.

"Mmm, no, I don't think the scarf works," Ai said. "It draws the eyes right to the part where your neck changes color. You're better off without it."

She sighed. _What the hell is taking so long? They don't need to look perfect._ She turned and impatiently knocked on the door.

"Taken!"

"No, it's Saki. Hurry up."

"Why? What's the hurry?"

"There isn't one, I just don't wanna stay here forever."

"Well, we need to pass as human, so be patient. We can't have people knowing we're zombies right away."

"Why not? You never even told me why we're dressing like this."

"Believe me, being human will make getting bikes a whole lot easier."

She sighed. _Why don't I get to know why? I'm the damn leader._ She stared at the floor. _They should be respecting my orders. Why the hell am I listening to theirs?_

The door opened. Out stepped Ai, wearing a maroon hoodie, a yellow t-shirt, black jeans, and sneakers without socks. Junko followed after, wearing a gray hoodie, a white t-shirt, blue jeans, and combat boots.

Saki stared at both of them, expressionless.

"That's your outfit?" Ai judged.

"Y-yeah, what's wrong with it?"

"It's a total eyesore. You'll get too much attention."

She frowned. "This is how I used to dress when I was alive!"

"Well, I get that you like your old outfit, but it's not a great fit for right now."

"The hell do you mean by that?" She was growing increasingly frustrated.

Several people were staring at them now.

"Well, we're trying to maintain a low profile at the moment. We can't go around looking like that."

"I'm sick and tired of you acting like you're the boss! You're not the boss! I'm the boss!"

"You're the boss of being a menacing biker, not the boss of blending in!"

 _I've had enough of this girl's crap! I swear to god, say one more stupid thing, and I'll punk your ass so hard, you'll-_

"You should try and follow what we do a bit more. We're trying to reorient ourselves and standing out like that isn't going to-"

Saki swung right at her face.

Ai's rant was cut short by the sudden threat of a fist. She clenched her eyes shut, preparing for the punch to land.

Junko watched as the sleeve of Saki's jacket _thwapped_ against Ai's face.

 _"_ Oh yeah," Saki muttered to herself.

There was an awkward silence. The onlookers murmured among one another.

She turned and stormed out of the dressing room _s._


	6. The Bold-Faced Lie

The door to the dungeon creaked open. "Tae-chan? Are you there? It's time for bed…" Sakura called. She peeked her head around the corner. The main room was empty, save for seven steel chairs and a chalkboard. She walked into the room so that she could look behind the bars. "Tae-chan? Are you there?" She walked up to the bars and peered through. It looked like no one was on the other side. She sighed. _She's such a handful._ She turned around to leave, but something caught her eye.

On the board was the same graphic from earlier, featuring crude drawings of all seven girls along with the kanji for "Ultimate Idol Legends". However, the art had been defaced in several places: there were small, fist-sized areas throughout where parts of it were dulled and smeared, plus one massive smudge had appeared across the whole board. At its end, there was a large handprint. The air smelled of chalk.

"Koutarou-san," Sakura whispered aloud.

* * *

There was a knock on the door to Koutarou's office.

"Come in," he said.

The door slowly opened and in stepped Sakura. She closed the door behind her.

He looked up from his desk and put on a cheeky smile. "Ah, Sakura, what's going on? How's it hanging with my zombie number 1?"

She was surprised. "Koutarou-san? Were you just sitting there at your desk doing nothing?"

"Yes… no… perhaps."

"W-well, Koutarou-san, I wanted to see you because, um, well, I'm concerned about what happened today…"

"Oh, yeah, that. What about it?"

"W-well, um, I wanted to see how you were doing… as this is… clearly a project you've, uh, put a lot of work into, and, uh…"

He stood up.

"W-w-w-well, I, uh, understand that… y-y-you like to be m-mysterious b-but… you don't have to hide your emotions… from… us…?"

He grabbed her shoulders. "WHY DO YOU CARE WHAT I THINK, YOU STUPID ZOMBIE?!" He shook her while yelling at her.

Sakura trembled in fear and confusion. "W-well, I-"

"I, the mysterious idol producer, the amazing Koutarou Tatsumi, am not bothered by puny setbacks!"

"P-puny? You've lost half the group!"

Koutarou smiled. "Maybe so. I'm sure they're off somewhere, having their own little adventure, just like you did last night."

She blinked in surprise. "Huh? You knew about that?"

"I know everything. And I know that they'll have to come back sooner or later. Don't worry. You can still be an idol."

She exhaled and looked up at him. _How is he not worried about this?_ She glanced back down. _No, he is!_ She looked back up at him. _The chalkboard! He's hiding it!_

He sat back down. "Do you have anything else to say?"

"N-no."

"Okay. Then BYE-BYE, ZOMBIE!" He shooed Sakura out of the room.

She turned and slowly walked to the door. She turned around one last time to stare at the producer before reopening the door and walking out.

"Close the door, you STUPID ZOMBIE!"

The door slammed shut behind her.

Koutarou took a deep breath. He looked up at the ceiling for a moment, then took the liquor back out from under his desk.

Yuugiri stepped back out from behind the piano. "You don't think it would be better to tell her as well?"

He shook his head. "I can't burden her with this kind of weight." He poured himself a shot. "I'll figure something out. For now, get some rest."

She gave him a suspicious glare then turned and walked out the same door.


	7. The Clearance Rack

"Saki? Where are you?" Ai called.

"Do you think she could have possibly run out of the store?" Junko asked.

"Well, security hasn't moved. I think it's safe to say that she hasn't left yet."

"Okay. I'll keep looking."

Saki listened to the sounds of the girls looking for them. She sat inside a cylindrical rack of clothes on clearance with her knees to her chest and her arm wrapped around her knees. _It's so stupid_ , she thought. _I'm the leader. I should be deciding this crap._ She took a deep breath.

"Excuse me, ma'am…"

She looked up to find someone looking down on her from above. She was dressed in everyday clothing, so it didn't look like she worked there. "What do you want?" she scowled.

"Are you okay? You seem distressed."

"I'm fine. Go away."

"Are you sure? I can call someone over if you'd-"

"I said I'm fine! Can't you listen? You wanna die?"

She gasped and turned away. "No need to be so rude about it…"

Saki looked back down. _That wasn't rude. That's just how I am._ She hesitated for a moment. _No it's not. I'm not usually this easily provoked._ She put her head into her knees. _Ugh, what is going on with me?_

Her moping was interrupted by the sound of someone spinning around the clothes on the rack.

 _Ugh, another one. Go away, you stupid-_

Just then, Junko's head popped through the wall of clothes. Unfortunately, there was a metal pole on the inside right where she was headed, so she crashed into it with a loud _twang_. "Oh… ouch…"

"Marshmallow?" she squinted. _Why did you follow me?_

"Saki… why did you try to hit Ai-san like that?" Junko questioned.

"Wh… no! I should be getting answers first! I'm the goddamn boss! What's the damn plan?"

"E-eh… w-well, it's not… um…" She was clearly flustered by her aggressive questioning.

She took a deep breath. "I mean… I'm the boss, right? So why don't I get to decide what to do?" She took off her sunglasses. "You two have been leading me around all night, from place to place, without telling me why we're even doing it."

"We're making it easier to present as humans," Junko explained.

"I know that! It's just… why does she have to be such an asshole about it?"

"You think she's been rude?"

"Well, yeah! She's been on my ass since the cosmetics store."

"I don't think-"

"First the bandage thing, now this? She's been a pain in my ass all day."

"Well, I mean…"

"I'm the boss! She should be respecting the boss! She agreed to it!"

"Well you haven't been much of a boss today, Saki!" she shouted suddenly.

She blinked. "Wh… what?"

"'If anything goes wrong, I'll take care of it.' That was the last leader-like thing you said today, and it was hours ago! The whole time you've been thinking about how you're not being treated like a boss, you've been showing us why you don't deserve to be!" She took a long, drawn-out breath. "You've been mean and short-sighted and just terrible! It's difficult to treat a person without boss-like qualities as a boss!"

She looked up. She took a deep breath. "You really think that?" she asked solemnly.

Junko immediately regretted her outburst, but she felt that she had to stand by her word. "Y-yes…"

There was a moment of silence before Saki sighed. "You're right."

"Huh?"

"I have been a pretty bad boss tonight."

Junko stared at her.

Saki motioned for her to sit down.

"Oh, um… alright." She pushed the rest of her way through the clothing rack and sat in the middle with her. There was barely any room left. She sat down on her foot. "Oh, sorry…"

"No, it's fine." She smiled. She looked left and right and up to make sure no one else was listening. She looked back down at Junko and took a deep breath. "I'm really glad that you came along, Marshmallow."

"Huh?"

"Can I be honest with you?"

Junko nodded.

She sighed. "I'm scared. I'm terrified. I've got no idea what I'm doing. I'm stressed out. For the first time in… God, I don't even know how long, I'm homeless. I'm just trying to get by. Everything I knew two days ago is gone. I have no idea what's going on in this world… Aw, jeez, I don't know why I'm even saying it, it's even worse for you…"

She perked up.

"How do you deal with it? How do you live with the fact that everything you knew is gone?"

She hesitated and thought about the question for a moment. "Well, I have you two."

Saki stared at her for a second then sighed. "I've been a terrible boss tonight. I'm sorry."

"No, we should have been more open with you about the plan…"

There was a moment of silence as both of them stared at each other. Then they each let out a smirk.

"This is stupid," Saki chuckled.

"Look at us, sitting in the middle of this thing like children," Junko giggled.

They laughed together, which seemed to ease the tension in the air.

"Junko! Where did you go?" Ai's yell was far-off.

"Over here!" Junko yelled back.

"Where?"

"Over here!" She stuck her hand out the top of the clearance rack.

"Oh! I see you!"

She stood up. "You should probably apologize to one another."

Saki shrugged. "Yeah, yeah…"

Both of them stepped out of the clearance rack. Saki and Ai stared at each other.

Ai started. "Saki, I-"

"I'm sorry," she apologized.

She was caught off-guard. "What?"

"I'm sorry. I've been a terrible boss all night. I should have listened better to your ideas."

"Ah."

"I mean, you guys are former idols. I'm sure you have plenty of experience hiding from the paparazzi."

"Uh, well…"

"I swear to be a better boss from here on out!"

Ai blinked. This wasn't what she was expecting. "Um… alright. Well, then, if you want, I can help you with your outfit…?"

She smiled and nodded. "Alright."

Suddenly, a scream erupted from in front of them. It was the girl from before. "Z-zombie!"

"Aw, crap! I forgot my glasses!"


	8. The Tense Situation

Sakura knelt down on her bed and sighed. _It's no use,_ she thought. _He won't tell me anything…_ _What are you thinking, Koutarou-san?_ She looked to the other zombies, who were each preoccupied with their nightly activities. Yuugiri was brushing her hair, Lily was reading a book, and Tae was chewing on the couch. Sakura looked down at herself. _What am I thinking?_

"You seem troubled, Sakura-han. What seems to be the matter?" Yuugiri eyed her curiously.

She sat up. "N-nothing! I'm just… worried about Koutarou."

"Ah, yes, I understand. I'm sure he's doing his best to endure the situation. All we can do is support him if he requests it."

"I guess so…" she sighed. She bent down and took Saki's arm out from under her pillow. It was now a clenched fist. "I suppose I should do something with this…" She stood up and walked to the kitchen, where she put the arm on the top shelf of the fridge. It flinched in reaction to its new environment, but didn't unclench itself. _I wonder if she can feel that..._ She closed the refrigerator door and walked back into the bedroom to see Tae laying on Junko's bed, chewing her pillow. She sighed and sat back down.

"Lily-chan, it's time for bed," Yuugiri said.

Lily groaned. "Okayyyy…" She got up, flicked off the lights, and snuggled into bed.

Sakura looked around at the three empty cots in the dark. _I wonder what they're thinking right now…_

* * *

 _Crapcrap_ _ _crap__ _ _ _crap___ _ _ _ _crap____ _ _ _ _ _crap_____ _ _ _ _ _ _crap______ _ _ _ _ _ _ _crap______!_

The three girls ran from the store as anarchy erupted from within. The threat of zombies had set off multiple people, which, combined with the zombies themselves setting off the theft alarm, had resulted in absolute chaos. Someone had pulled the fire alarm as well. It was anarchy.

"Where do we go now!?" Saki screamed over the chaos.

"There's a train line right there!" Junko pointed to a concrete bridge over the road several meters above the ground. "If we can ride a train, we can get much closer to where we were supposed to go from the start!"

"So we should follow the rail to a train station?!" she asked.

"Yes! That way!" she pointed to the left and the girls turned to run parallel to the rails.

After several minutes of running, the sound of chaos faded into nothing but the ambience of the city around them. It was a cool Spring night. None of the stars were visible except the super bright ones, but the city lights gave them enough light to get by.

"Damn… I can't see a thing through these glasses. They're too dark," Saki complained.

Ai sighed. "Well, keep them on. That was the third time that happened and I don't feel like running anymore."

"My heart feels like it's going to burst out of my chest," Junko added.

She glanced over at her. "Your heart?"

"Yes, I was confused, too… apparently our hearts still pump, but I'm not sure if they actually circulate any blood..."

"Oh yeah," Saki added, putting her hand to her chin. "That little kid from the mansion had her heart outside her body, and it still beat."

"I wonder if our other organs still work…" Ai pondered.

"Well, all our brains work… except Sakura's," Junko chuckled.

"And Tae's," Ai added.

"And Shades'," Saki concluded.

"Hehe, you're right," Junko smiled.

There was a moment of tranquility among the three zombies. _This is so much better than doing idol shit all_ _day…_ Suddenly, she felt a chill go down her spine. _That's_ _… weird. Isn't it like_ _… really warm outside right now?_ After a moment, she realized why she felt so cold. "Huh."

"What is it, Saki?" Ai asked.

"I just realized. I can still feel my arm."

"What?" Ai and Junko shouted in unison.

"Yeah, I've just been so distracted all day I didn't realize that I could still feel it."

"Sakura has it, right?" Ai asked.

"Yeah, but I don't know where she put it. It's cold. The ground is… slippery."

"Maybe it's in the dungeon?" Junko suggested.

"Well, the floor down there was gross, but it wasn't slippery." she grabbed her stump. _What is this? Where is it?_ "There's like… a vibration. Something is shaking."

"Shaking? What?" Ai was confused.

"I don't know…" _Ugh, who cares? I don't even need that fucking arm. I can drive with my elbows!_ "Whatever. I don't need it."

"Maybe we should try and get it back…" Ai suggested.

"And go back to that place? Yeah, no thanks!"

There was another period of silence. This one wasn't as calm. The three girls kept walking together at the same pace, but each of them were clearly thinking about something.

 _What am I gonna tell Reiko?_

* * *

"Okay, so we're here…" Ai pointed to the circle on the map labelled 'Onizuka Station'. "And we want to be down here." She dragged her finger along the railway line to the circle labelled 'Imari Station'. "What does the timetable say for Imari, Junko?"

"Um, there are many trains… do either of you know what time it is?"

"Uhhh, night?" Saki shrugged.

"Well, the latest they run is 9:50… we might be able to get it, depending on what time it is. Do either of you know what time it is?"

"Do we even know what day it is?"

"I don't even know what year it is…"

"Junko, it's 2018." Ai smiled. "And I'm sure we can find out what time it is if we just ask someone." She looked around. There was literally no one in sight. "Oh. Nevermind."

Each of them sighed and sat down. The station was surprisingly clean for how rural it was. They stared off into space again. "It's been a long time since I was alive…" Junko said to herself quietly.

Saki laughed. "You and me both, sister! And I gotta say, I had high hopes for the future."

"Yes, I'm also disappointed in how little society has advanced."

"Heh, yeah! Like, where are the flying cars, right? Right, Bandages?"

Ai continued to stare into space.

"Bandages?"

"Huh?" She snapped back into reality. "What?"

"Didn't you think there would be flying cars by now when you were alive?"

"Well, no, not really. I thought, maybe twenty or thirty years from then, but not that much time has passed for me."

"Oh damn, really? When did you die?"

She sat up. Beneath her sunglasses, her eyes bulged open. Her breaths became frantic.

"Whoa, Bandages, you okay?" Saki put her hand on her shoulder.

She looked back at her. Her breaths slowed and she slumped back down in her seat. "I'd rather not talk about it."

 _I guess she hasn't come to terms with it yet…_ She turned to face Junko. "What about you, Marshmallow?"

She was staring off into space, clearly in deep thought. She turned to her. "I'm glad that the cars now don't fly." She turned back out towards the rails with a grim look on her face. "I never want to fly again."

Saki sensed that she had struck a nerve and shut her mouth. She looked straight forward, sandwiched between two girls who she had made very uncomfortable. _Where's the damn train?_


	9. The Proposal

"Hey! Hey, Lily-chan! Wake up!"

The young zombie shuffled in bed, but didn't get up. A frown appeared on her face. "What?" she mumbled.

"I have something to show you~!" Sakura sang softly.

"What?"

"Come to the basement and you'll see!" she smiled.

"I don't wanna go down there, it's gross…" she whined.

"It's really important! Please?"

"No!" She pulled the covers up over her head.

"Come on! I really want you to take a look at this!"

"Go away…"

"Not until you come see what I have in the basement."

"Fine!" She threw the covers off of her and turned to face her. She sat up and pouted. "But I won't like it."

* * *

Sakura pushed open the door. "Just sit down over there, please!"

"Hello, Lily-chan," Yuugiri waved. She was seated in the center chair. She motioned for the child to join her.

"Hi." She took a seat next to her angrily. She crossed her arms and pouted.

"Grruh," Tae groaned. She had been gnawing on one of the chairs.

"Okay!" Sakura exclaimed. She walked to the front of the room where Koutarou had stood two mornings prior and put her hands on her hips. "Now, I'm sure you're all wondering why I brought you down here!"

She was met with nothing but blank stares.

"U-um, alright, well, uh…" she stammered, as she had honestly expected a better response. _What do I do? They're upset I woke them up at three in the morning!_

"What is it?" moaned Lily. "Just tell us already!"

"Oh, um, well, I'm sure you all are aware of what happened yesterday…"

Lily and Yuugiri nodded. Tae blinked one eye after the other.

"Well, I've come up with a plan!" She smacked the board just as Koutarou had to spin it around. The board didn't move. "Huh?" She hit it again. Again, it didn't budge.

"You're hitting it on the hinge, dear. You've got to hit it lower," Yuugiri explained.

"Oh." She smacked the bottom of the chalkboard. It came and crashed down onto her head. "Ow!" She rubbed her head before stepping to the side and pushing it the rest of the way down manually. Drawn on the board was a rather detailed drawing of Saki, Ai, and Junko with the kanji for 'Operation: Save the Saviors of Saga!' written above it. "Operation: Save the Saviors of Saga! We have to find them and we have to bring them back home and we have to save Saga! Any questions?"

Lily raised her hand.

"Yes, Lily-chan?"

"Why do we have to do that?"

"To save Saga!"

"Well, why do we have to do THAT?"

"Well, when we went on stage, back when you all weren't awake, it felt incredible. I was so happy. And the audience was happy, too! I was excited to see how well we would do with a fully conscious team, but they didn't even give it a chance…"

Lily slumped down in her chair and crossed her arms. "That's not a very good reason…"

"If I may," Yuugiri asked.

"Yes, Yuugiri-san?"

"How are you planning to convince them?"

"Huh?"

"Well, they seemed quite devoted to their escape… You have a plan for retrieving them, do you not?"

She paused for a moment. She hadn't considered the method she would use to convince them to return. "I… don't know."

"You don't even know how you're gonna get them back?" Lily asked.

"Well, um, not yet, no, but…"

"So you dragged me out of bed to tell me you were gonna do this but don't have any plan at all?!"

"Well when you put it that way, then it…"

Lily stood up and started stomping toward the door. "Yuugirin, I'm going back to bed."

"Okay."

"W-wait, no, don't-"

The door slammed shut as the child stormed out of the room.

Sakura and Yuugiri stared at each other for a second before Yuugiri started. "Perhaps I should-"

"Yeah, go…"

She stood up and walked to the door. "Terribly sorry." She walked out, softly closing the door behind her.

Sakura stared at the back wall of the dungeon. _I should have known that wouldn't work…_

"Grrhhhh…" Tae groaned.

"Oh, Tae-chan! I forgot you were here…"

She looked up at her in response to hearing her name.

"Well, do you like the plan?"

She tilted her head to the side and let out a questioning grumble. "Grrah?"

She sighed and smiled. "Well, it's good to know that someone doesn't hate it."


	10. The Train

"So, what are you planning to do from now on?"

"Huh?" Saki asked.

The two of them had driven up to a ledge overlooking all of Karatsu. It was the parking lot for the Kagamiyama Shrine, one of their most disputed pieces of territory. They were leaning on the wooden barrier. "In the future," Reiko clarified.

She thought about it for a moment. "I figure after taking over Kyushu comes taking over the rest of the country, right?"

She chuckled. "That's just like you."

"Not you though?"

She looked to the sky. "I…" she paused. Slowly, her optimistic smile turned into a sour, twisted frown. Tears started pouring down her face.

"R-reiko?" A strong breeze blew from beyond her, blowing her hair away from her face. She panicked as the ground around them began to crack. The sky darkened and the clouds above began to swirl. "Wh-what the hell?!" she yelled. She turned and looked around at her surroundings, which had turned into a hellish landscape.

"Saki." Reiko's voice boomed.

She glanced back at her old friend. By this point, the only terrain left was the ground the two were standing on and the railing.

"SAKI!"

"R-Reiko! I didn't want to leave! I just wanted to show off!"

"SAKI!"

"I know! I regret it, okay?!"

"SAKI!"

"God, just stop!"

"SAKI!"

"Stop yelling at me!"

"SAKI!"

"I don't…"

SAKI!"

"Please…"

"SAKI!"

Saki shot up, breathing heavily. She looked around, terrified and panting heavily. She was at the train station. It seemed to be morning. She looked up to see Ai was standing in front of her.

"Saki, the train is coming. It's time to wake up." she pulled on her wrist.

She blinked. "Y-yeah. Got it." She stood up, stretching out. _Ugh, there are so many kinks in my back..._ _can't believe I fell asleep in a chair like that._ She looked to the left and saw the train. It was a small train, only capable of holding fifty or so passengers. She bent over and attempted to pop her spine.

The three of them waited patiently as the train came to a stop in front of them. As soon as it stopped, Saki stepped forward, but Ai pulled her back. "Hey!"

"We have to wait for people to get off the train first."

"Tch… I've never had to ride a train before, okay? Gimme a break."

The doors opened slowly and a handful of people got out. Finally, the three girls stepped up to the door. The inside of the train had seats on either side of the car facing inwards, with poles placed throughout.

"Is this train headed to Imari?" Ai asked the doorman.

"Yes. All three of you?"

"Yes."

"Okay, that's 1,950 yen."

Ai gasped. She turned towards the others. "I forgot it costs money! Do either of you have money?"

Saki shrugged. "Why would we?"

"I'm sorry, but if you can't pay, I'll have to ask you to leave," the doorman said.

The three of them turned around and walked back onto the platform. Saki shook her head. "C'mon. We gotta go find some money somehow. Or we could walk. Which one's better for you guys?"

"Wait!"

The girls turned back around.

Inside the train, a man had stood up and extended a 5,000 yen note to the girls. "Here. You girls need to ride the train?"

* * *

"Wow, things are finally looking up for us!" Saki exclaimed. She put her arm behind her head and leaned against the window. "Thanks dude, you really saved our butts back there!"

He leaned forward. He wore a navy blue button-up with a cyan undershirt and white khaki pants. "Don't mention it. I like to help out where I can. My name's Shinta Okoba. I'm a journalist." He extended his hand.

Saki shook it forcefully. "The name's Saki Nikaido! Nice to meet ya!"

Junko shook it daintily. "Junko Konno. The pleasure's all mine."

Shinta cocked his head. "Junko Konno? Interesting name. Have we met before?"

She was surprised. "Um, no, I don't believe so…"

"Hmm… that name is just familiar, that's all." He turned to Ai and extended his hand. "And you?"

She was flustered. "My name is… uh… Miho… Saito.

He seemed a little confused by her hesitation, but still remained polite. "Nice to meet you." He held out his hand for a second more as Ai failed to shake it before awkwardly retracting it.

Saki looked at Ai and cocked her head. _Huh? Miho Saito?_

"So, you three are headed to Imari? What for?"

She piped up. "Oh, we're headed to-"

"We're visiting a relative!" Ai yelled.

He stared at her suspiciously. "You're all in the same family?"

"Oh, no, we're just friends! We're visiting my relative. Together."

Shinta was silent. He looked back to Junko. "Well, anyways. Seriously, I could have sworn I've heard that name before. And… you look… oddly familiar. I have to know you from somewhere."

She was incredibly flustered. "Um, you, maybe…" She turned to Ai.

"You ride the train a lot," she mouthed silently.

"I-I ride the train a lot, so maybe you've seen me here?"

He squinted. Saki looked between the three of them, confused. _Huh? You don't…_

He sat back up in his chair. "Maybe." He looked to the side, then back to the girls. "Well, I have some work to do. Nice meeting you." He seemed much more serious than he was before. He pulled a laptop out of his bag and opened it.

"What was that?" Saki whispered to the two girls. "Miho Saito? What the hell?"

"Did you see the look on his face when he heard Junko Konno? We're not exactly as obscure as you are," Ai snapped back quietly. She glanced at Shinta, then back at her. "Plus, he's a journalist. If the public were to find out that there are zombies running around before we want them to, that might be a bit of an issue."

 _Oh._

"I-I shouldn't have told him my real name. I'm sorry," Junko mumbled.

"Hey, you're okay. We've only been around for three days. I'm sure you're not used to giving fake names. We only have to worry about it while we're homeless and vulnerable," she said. "Once we get settled in and start trying to be threatening, we can start telling people the truth."

She looked down at her boots.

Ai turned back to Saki. "You know the way there from Imari, right?"

"Huh? Oh yeah, totally. It's like a 5 minute ride from there. I've practically got the route memorized."

"Good. I don't want any more setbacks. We've already wasted an entire day. Once we're there, we'll probably have to wait a while. It looks like it's pretty early in the morning, so we'll probably-"

"What?" Shinta whispered to himself.

Saki and Ai glanced over at him. _Huh?_

He was staring at his laptop screen, eyes bulging.

Saki looked back at Ai and shrugged. "Probably just got a surprising email or something."

"No, look at him."

She looked back to see his eyes darting frantically between his screen and Junko. _Uh oh._

"What on Earth…?" he whispered to himself.

Ai gulped. "I think we've made a terrible mistake."

Saki looked back at her. "Crap, crap, crap! We've gotta get outta here!"

"Well we can't just leave! We have to get to Imari and if we get off the train, we might not be able to get back on!"

Saki looked back at Shinta to find that he was now staring at the two of them suspiciously. She put her elbow on her leg and supported her head, making sure to avoid eye contact with him.

Ai put her hood up and turned towards the window.

After a moment of staring, he went back to typing on his laptop.

 _This is bad. This is really, really bad…_

"Junko," Ai whispered.

She shot up. "W-what?" she asked.

"Shhh! Not so loud! Don't look now, but I think the guy who paid for us to get on the train just found out who you are."

"How?"

"He probably looked you up on Google."

"On what? I don't understand..."

"Wikipedia."

"Oh no! What do we do?"

"Just stay calm. Chances are he won't approach us. In the meantime, don't make eye contact. We've got to ride the train to Imari."

"I understand." Junko shifted her position, looking to the end of the train car away from Shinta and crossing her legs. She hid her multicolored hands behind her legs.

The three of them held their positions for several minutes, with only slight adjustments.

 _Okay, just gotta stay like this for a few minutes._ _Wonder what my arm's up to?_ Saki turned her attention to her dismembered arm. Nothing had changed. It was still freezing. _Huh, maybe they put it in the fridge or something?_ Her hand started to itch. _Crap! No! I can't scratch that!_ The pain was agonizing. She stopped paying attention to her arm and popped back into the real world. She realized that it was really hot compared to how it was in the fridge. _Damn, the fridge felt way better. Maybe I should open a window. Maybe he'll even think we're less suspicious if we do something as mundane as that._ She glanced over at Ai. "Hey, uh, Miko, can you open the window? It's getting kinda stuffy in here."

She did nothing.

"Hey, Miko!" She elbowed her in the thigh.

"Ow! Oh yeah." She stood up and opened the window a bit before returning to the position she had held before.

Saki glanced to see if Shinta had gotten less suspicious.

He was now squinting at them, mouthing something unintelligible to himself.

 _Well, that backfired._

The train finally rolled to a stop at the first station on its route. "Now arriving at Yamamoto Station!"

Saki watched as Shinta started to get up, then looked at the three girls.

He hesitated for a moment then walked out the door next to them.

"He's gone," she whispered.

All three of them took a sigh of relief. They all turned back to face the aisle. Junko sighed. "I'm sorry."

"No, don't be. I'm sure we'll never see him again." Ai smiled.

"I didn't realize that something as small as a name could give us away…"

"Yeah, that's why I came up with a fake one. We can't risk anyone finding out at this point. That was close."

Saki smiled. "Hey, us being zombies won't be so taboo once we hook back up with Dorami." She leaned back against the window again and chuckled.

"Zombies, huh?" Shinta asked.

There was a collective gasp. The three of them slowly turned around to find that he had crouched right outside the window on the station platform, listening to their conversation. He let out a smile, stood back up, and walked back into the train slowly.

All three girls turned with his movements and watched him make his way back to his seat.

He leaned forward, interlocked his fingers, and put his elbows on his knees. "Tell me more."


	11. The Curious Journalist

"Let's reintroduce ourselves. My name is Shinta Okoba. What are yours?"

The three zombies stared at him silently. None of them dared to say a word so as to avoid further outing themselves.

"I knew from the start that something weird was going on. You might not know this, Ms. Konno, but something as small as your name can give you away."

 _Damn it, he's being so smug! I wanna just get up and punch him so bad, but that would just draw more attention…_ Saki looked around the train car. The only other people on it were a teenager wearing headphones and the doorman, who was standing near the back smoking a cigarette. _Maybe we can talk to him… as long as no one else is listening._ She looked back at him, now sporting a more composed expression.

"No one else will hear us. Just talk to me. I promise I won't tell anyone," he assured her.

"Yeah, right. You think we're stupid? You're a journalist."

He smiled. "Saki Nikaido, you said? I don't recognize you."

 _Why isn't he freaking out and running away like the rest? What's with this guy?_ "Yeah, I could tell."

"When did you die?"

She didn't answer.

"You aren't gonna answer any questions I have, are you?"

"Hell no."

The smile fell off his face. He sat more upright in his chair. "Fine." He pulled his laptop back out, held up a finger to indicate that they should wait, and began typing something.

She turned to the others. "Hey," she whispered.

They glanced at her out of the corners of their eyes. They seemed exceptionally nervous.

"This guy is real trouble."

"Okay, so maybe letting one of our names slip wasn't such a small thing," Ai grumbled.

"Let's shut up about that and move on. The last thing we want, as both bikers and zombies, is the papers to know about us. Don't answer any of his questions."

The two girls nodded.

"He can't get any info just by looking at-"

"Ai Mizuno, correct?" Shinta looked up from his laptop at the girls.

The three of them froze. They turned back to see him smiling smugly at them. "H-how did you know that?" Ai asked.

He shrugged. "I figured if one of you is an idol, surely the other ones must be too. The list of idol deaths isn't as long as you would think, and it has pictures." He turned to Saki. "I can't find anything on you, though. You must not be an idol."

 _Crap, he's figuring stuff out, and fast! I gotta throw him off!_ She smiled nervously. "Maybe I was just a really crappy one?"

He laughed. "Even the bad ones have press. Your name brings up nothing."

 _Damn, really? Thought I had notoriety._

"Why are you doing this?" Ai asked.

"Hmm? Well, I'm curious. That's all. No malicious intent."

Saki turned to the others. "He's lying. He's a journalist. Don't tell him anything."

"I don't need you to tell me anything."

The three looked at him with raised eyebrows.

"I got an email this morning. You know what was in it?"

"What?" she asked.

"A dashcam video."

Her eyes shot open. _No way._

Junko turned to Saki. "What's a dashcam video? Is that bad?"

"In it," he elaborated," three girls clearly jump out of a black van and off a bridge."

 _Crap, they have a video!_

"Oh no," Ai said.

"Oh, so it is bad," Junko whispered.

"Why do you think I paid for your tickets? How lucky that you all just so happened to get on the same train." He let out a cheeky grin.

 _Motherfucker!_ She gritted her teeth angrily.

"You aren't publishing that video, are you?" Ai asked shakily.

"I'm not the one in charge of that."

"Shut up…" Saki growled.

He smiled. "What? I'm just telling you what I-"

"I said shut up! You wanna die?"

He laughed. "Ironic that someone like you is throwing around death threats, isn't it?"

She stood up.

In the transition between sitting and standing, something changed about her. Shinta couldn't quit put his finger on how, but she was different. Scarier. He flinched in fear.

"You shouldn't pick fights you're not ready for, paper boy." She slowly walked across the aisle towards him.

He began to slide back in his seat.

"Don't get on the wrong side of Dorami."

"D-Dorami?"

"Don't talk back to me!" She grabbed the collar of his shirt and pulled him up to her face. His laptop fell to the floor. "I'll throw you off the damn train! You understand? You screw with me and I'll kill you!"

He nodded quickly.

She released him. He landed back in his seat with a thud. She turned around and walked back to her seat before turning around, sitting down, and putting her hand in her pocket. _Still got it._ She looked over at Ai and Junko, who were shocked. "Bandages. Marshmallow."

They both looked over at her, still stunned.

"That's how you make an impression. You'll see that a lot."

Neither of their expressions changed.

Shinta picked up his laptop, got up, and walked briskly to the other side of the train car. He sat in the furthest possible seat from the girls.

The three of them looked back across the aisle. There was a moment of silence. Saki looked back at the two of them. _Damn, maybe I went too far..._ "Hey," she said, "you two still wanna do this, right? No regrets?"

The two idols remained silent.

"I totally get it if you don't want to do it. Not everyone is cut out to be a biker."

Junko opened her mouth, but said nothing.

She turned away. "Sorry."

Ai looked at her. "Sorry for what?"

"Sorry for dragging you two into this."

"Don't be."

She looked up. "Huh?"

"As terrible as the situation is now, I'm glad you brought me along. I'm actually having a lot of fun."

She raised an eyebrow. "You are?"

She turned to the window. "My life before was school and idol work. Every single day. That's what I did. I never thought much about it at the time, but…" she looked down. "Well, while it made me happy and I loved performing, there was a certain point where it became just… work. When Iron Frill finally landed on its feet, and everything was great, that was when I became pretty vain. I craved popularity, at the cost of pretty much everything else." She smiled. "But now… we're getting ready to start anew. Being free from the idol business… it's kind of sobering, really. It feels great. I feel great. This adrenaline rush… it's something I haven't felt in a long time."

"Huh."

She looked back at her. "So thank you, Saki."

"Y-yeah." She looked at the other girl. "Junko?"

She turned towards the other two and stared at Saki for a second. Then she laughed.

"What's so funny?" Ai asked.

"I think that's the first time Saki-san has actually called me by my real name…" she smiled. "Yes, I'm having a good time, too." She glanced at Ai and blushed.

"Well that's good," Saki said.

The train began to slow as it reached the next station. "Now arriving at Hon-Mutabe Station!"

Shinta stood up. He eyed the girls cautiously as he approached the door on the opposite side of the train from them. He made sure to keep them in the corner of his eye. The second the door opened, he quickly walked out.

"Finally," Saki sighed.

Ai stood up and closed the window behind them. "He really was a pain, wasn't he?"

The others nodded.

"Well, it's good that we got rid of him before he got any information out of us. We'll be in Imari soon."

Saki took a deep breath and leaned back against the window. _Now things are looking up for us._


	12. The Internet's Effect

The three of them walked off the train and to the edge of the station platform. It was elevated above a road, so there was a nice view. Saki noticed a newspaper box nearby. She peeked inside and saw that it was a Sunday. _Alright, they should be there tonight! Cool!_

"How beautiful," Junko marveled at the scenery around them.

"It really is, isn't it?" Ai took a deep breath of fresh air. "It's nice to be off that stuffy train, huh?"

"I've never been to Imari before," she said. "I'd like to experience the city a bit before we make our trip."

"Well, we don't have to be there 'til sunset, so that's fine," Saki said.

She squealed. "Look, a pet shop!" She took Ai's hand and ran for the stairs.

"Wh-whoa, Junko! Slow down!" she yelled in shock.

 _These girls are such oddballs,_ Saki thought, running after them.

* * *

Ai looked out the window at the shadows stretching across the ground. "We should get going…"

Junko looked up. "What? Already? But we've barely seen any of the city…"

"Yeah, because you guys spent six hours googling crap," Saki huffed.

"Well, computers are so advanced now, and information is so available…" she explained. "It's interesting to have such an incredible way to learn."

"We can explore the city another day once we have bikes. Right now, we need to get going," Ai said.

The three of them stood up and walked out of the library.

"All right, Saki, where are we going?"

"We need to go east until we hit the 202, then just follow it northeast. You can't miss it."

They started on their long trek.

"So, Junko, what do you think was the most interesting thing you missed?" Ai asked.

"Huh? Um, I don't know…" she put a finger to her chin. "Probably the internet itself. It wasn't really a thing when I was alive. We just had the tube and the radio."

"Yeah, the internet is pretty neat, huh?" Saki smiled. "It's way more useful than it was when I was alive."

"It's strange… you can even buy things on it and they're shipped to your house. You can go shopping without ever leaving your seat…"

Ai smiled. "It's convenient, right?"

"Yes, very much so."

There was a moment of silence as the girls turned a corner.

"I looked up a lot of news stories," Saki said, "but I didn't understand anything."

"Well, that's to be expected when you're gone for such a long time…" Ai said. "What didn't you understand?"

Saki shrugged. "Artificial intelligence, mostly. A lot of articles talked about it, but none of them really explained what it was."

"If it makes you feel any better, I don't know what that is, either."

"Apparently it's supposed to be in phones and stuff but-"

Junko gasped. "That's what that was! A mobile phone!"

Ai and Saki looked at her.

"There was a man I saw earlier talking to a little shiny rectangle like it was a person…" she explained. "It was so small. I had no idea what it was."

Saki laughed. "We're really behind the times, huh?"

"Yes, we are…" she smiled. "I'm glad I'm not the only one shocked by society's transformation."

She put her hand up in distress. "I know, right? Like, what happened to cameras? Where'd they go?"

She gasped. "You're right! I haven't seen a single one since I woke up!"

"And CD's! Do they even have those anymore?"

"Actually, there was a CD store right next to the train station," Ai pointed out.

She put her arm down and smiled. "Oh, that's a relief."

"CD's were only around for about a year or so before I died," Junko said. "Were they common in your time?"

"Yeah. That was pretty much the only way to get music aside from the radio."

"CD's fell out of use when digital media became more popular," Ai said. "Although when that came along, it really hurt music sales."

"Huh? How?"

"Well, people would illegally download the music from the internet. I remember that digital piracy was a huge issue when I was an idol."

"What?" Junko asked. "Why wouldn't listeners want to support the artist?"

"I'm not totally sure. Either way, the internet really hurt the music business. The internet as a whole may be a good thing, but it has some pretty big repercussions. It can be pretty frustrating working against it."

Saki put her hand to her forehead. "Man, the future is so damn confusing…"

* * *

Sakura had her face pressed to the window. "Come on, come on…"

She watched as Koutarou walked out the gate and turned the corner. The van's door opened and he climbed into it.

"Yes! Come on! Yes! Do it!" she chanted in delight as she anticipated his departure.

Finally, the engine turned on and the van drove off.

She sprinted into his office and sat herself down at the desk. _If he's not going to look for them, I'll have to do it myself!_ She turned on the computer and sat back. The whirr of the fans made her giddy with anticipation. She watched excitedly as the operating system came to life, presenting her with a loading screen. She bounced up and down, watching as the desktop finally popped up.

"Sakura-chan?"

"Ah!" she yelped. To her right was Lily, standing in the doorway. "Oh, hi, Lily-chan. How are you?"

"Why are you using the computer?"

"What? Umm… to… watch videos!"

"Is it okay if I use it? I wanna see what video games they have in the future."

"Oh, um, do you think you can wait? This is kind of important…"

"Lame." She cocked her head. "What kind of videos are you watching?"

"U-um, idol videos!"

"Why?"

"W-well, we're gonna be idols, right? We should get in some practice while we wait for the others to come back!"

"Why?"

"Well, we… we should." She turned back to the computer. "Why don't you go read your book?"

"I already finished it!" she pouted. "I wanna see what there is now in the future!"

"Well, I'm busy right now, so-"

"You're trying to find the bridge girls, aren't you?" she asked blankly.

She sighed. "Yes."

"Why?"

"Because… it's important that we become idols! And for some reason, they don't want to!"

Lily crossed her arms and looked to the side. She sighed.

Sakura opened the internet browser. She typed the URL for Google into the address bar and hit enter. _Oh, the logo is different..._

"This is stupid! Why do you think they're coming back?"

"They aren't coming back," she explained, "that's why we have to bring them back ourselves."

She rolled her eyes. "Let me know when you're done on the computer." She walked out and closed the door behind her.

Sakura typed in 'saga girls bridge'. A large list of articles popped up. She clicked on the first one, titled 'Crazy Saga Girls Jump off Bridge' and scanned it. _Nothing useful here…_ she scrolled to the bottom and found a section titled 'Comments'. _Oh! Maybe these will help!_ She read the first comment. She immediately closed the window. _This is hopeless..._

"Hello, Lily-chan. How are you?" The muffled sounds of Yuugiri's voice pierced through the door.

"Shhh! I'm listening to Sakura-chan!"

 _She's spying on me?_

"Oh? What is she doing in Koutarou-han's office?"

"She's using the computer to find the girls who jumped out of the van yesterday! It's stupid!"

"I don't see any harm in trying… perhaps you should be more receptive of her efforts."

 _So she does support me?_

"That being said," she continued, "I don't think she will produce results, either."

 _Nevermind._ She reopened the internet browser and retraced her steps to get back to the google search results. She clicked on the second article, titled 'VIDEO: Saga Girls Jump from Moving Van, off Bridge'. As soon as it loaded, the video started playing at full volume.

"Oh my god! Someone just fell out of that car! Oh, there's two! What are they doing?! What- oh my god!" The sound of the driver who recorded the video filled the room.

She scrambled to find where the video was playing from or where to turn down the volume. She looked down at the keyboard and saw a mute button and slammed it. The sound stopped.

"I think she found a video," Lily said from behind the door.

She sighed in relief then scrolled down to find the video, which silently portrayed Saki tumbling out of the van, jumping to her feet, and diving off the edge. She frowned. _Selfish,_ she thought to herself. She scrolled down and began scanning the article. _Seen it, know it, I was ther-_ she paused mid-thought as one paragraph stuck out to her.

'The girls have since been identified as Ai Mizuno, Junko Konno, and Saki Nikaido and were later seen riding the train from Karatsu to Imari. The others inside the van have yet to be identified.'

She stood up. _How do they know that?_ Her breathing increased rapidly. She scrolled down to the comments to see people making jokes at their names being the same as idols who had passed away. _Insensitive,_ she thought. She sat back down. She paused for a moment then scrolled back up to the top, where she read the article's author aloud. "Shinta Okoba…"


	13. The Reunion

"Here we are!" Saki held up her arm and her stump in a triumphant expression of pure excitement.

The three of them stood in the parking lot next to Drive-In Tori. "Finally…" Ai sighed. "Now, what's the plan?"

"Well, the crew and I used to come here pretty often, so I figure that they should be here too, soon enough. Then we can get all buddy-buddy and hook back up."

"What if they react poorly to zombies approaching them?" Junko asked.

"We just won't tell them we're zombies until they get to know us. Just like that journalist dude. Now, let's find a good place to watch from a distance." She looked around. "Looks like they removed a lot of the plants and stuff around here…" she pointed across the street at a used car dealership. "Looks like that's our best bet!" She turned and sprinted across the street, nearly getting hit by two cars in the process.

"Saki! Be careful!" Junko cried as she started crossing the street herself.

Saki found her place underneath a car. She was quickly joined by Ai and Junko to her right. "Damn, it's kinda nice down here," she observed.

"As nice as it can be laying under a car…" Ai muttered.

"Hey, don't worry about it! Soon enough we'll be riding with the wind in our hair and chicken in our stomachs."

* * *

Another car started and pulled out of the parking lot. The three of them watched it speed off into the night in silence. "I don't think they're coming," Ai said quietly.

The three of them had laid under the car for hours. They had watched the dinner rush come and go and had only seen one motorcycle. The streetlights were on and there was only one car parked at the restaurant.

"No, they're coming," Saki assured them. "We always used to come here on Sundays, even if we didn't do anything that day." She stared intently at the near-empty chicken restaurant.

"Saki…" she started.

"They're coming, alright? They're just a little late…"

"Saki, listen to me! They're not-"

"They're coming!" she turned to face her. "Dorami is fine. They're coming."

She bit her lip.

Saki turned back towards the store and rested her chin on her arm. _They have to come. It's tradition…_

Ai began to crawl out from under the car.

"Where the hell are you going? They'll be here any second!" she yelled.

"This is so clearly not going to work." She stood up.

 _Oh hell no!_ She crawled out from under the car. "You aren't bailing when we're this close, are you?"

"It's pointless!"

"Don't be such a downer!"

"What's your problem? Can't you see that they're not coming?"

"They're totally coming! You just want an excuse to give up!"

"No, I don't! You just haven't realized that Dorami died with you!"

"You don't know what you're talking about!"

"Yes I do!"

"Groups don't die with people! Groups live on beyond their members! And you would know that if you googled Iron Frill!"

Ai gasped. Tears began to form in her eyes. She turned and ran.

"W-wait, Ai!" Saki reached out, but she was already gone. _Damn it…_

Junko crawled out from under the car.

"I think I said too much."

She said nothing in response.

"I shouldn't have googled you guys."

"You googled us?"

She sighed. "Yeah, I did."

Junko looked away. "I should go after her…" She walked towards the building where Ai had went, leaving Saki alone.

She watched as she turned the corner and disappeared. _Damn it…_ She turned and looked out onto the road. She took a seat on the hood of a sedan, rested her cheek on her palm, and took a deep breath. _What if they're right?_ She shook her head. _They can't be right. Dorami is okay. It needs to be._ She stared at the nearly empty store for a moment, then turned back towards the building. _But damn it, they need to be okay more._ She slid off the car and started walking towards the back of the building, making sure to sneak quietly.

"She just doesn't get it…" she heard Ai say.

"What do you mean?" Junko replied.

Saki stopped. She stuck her body to the wall and made sure not to make a sound.

"She thinks that she can just say what she wants to anyone she wants with no repercussions… well, newsflash! Your words carry meaning!"

"Well, I think that in the heat of the moment-"

"What? She got upset because I said that her gang was gone?"

"Well, do you really think that?"

"Well, it's hard not to be afraid that that's the case… how is she not scared? I get that she's a biker and all, and being in danger is kind of her thing, but…"

"She is scared."

"What makes you say that?"

"When she got mad in the clothing store, she told me she was terrified. She's just like us, but she's putting on a stronger face to keep our hopes up. This is all that she's working for. This is her last hope. And I think that you insulting it like you did makes her… impulsive. Even if you're right."

Saki looked down at the ground.

"Do you think I'm right?" Ai asked.

"Well, I don't know. You could be. But that's not what she wants to hear."

There was the faint sound of buzzing. Saki looked around to find the bug making the sound.

She sighed. "I'm sorry. I just… it's hard not to doubt stuff like that when you're so scared."

"We're all scared," Junko reassured her. "But when we're all together, we feel a lot less scared. Or… at least I do."

"I suppose you're right." Ai said. "I'm glad to have you here with me, Junko."

"I'm glad to have you, too, Ai. Thank you for taking me along."

The sound of buzzing kept getting louder. It seemed like it was coming from the street.

"It's no problem. Who knows where we'd be without you?"

"Well, it's your resourcefulness that got us these clothes…"

Ai snickered. "You know, I'm really glad you decided to come with." She paused for a short moment. "Hey, can I ask you something?"

"Huh? What are you doing?"

Saki realized what the buzzing was. It wasn't buzzing, it was the sound of engines. Motorcycle engines. She quietly made her way back to the parking lot. _That's a lot of engines to be going at the same time…_ she looked into the road and gasped. A number of motorcycles came from the right and turned into Drive-In Tori. _Dorami!_ She turned and sprinted toward where Ai and Junko were. She reached the corner. "Dorami is here!" she yelled at them, then gasped once she realized what the two girls were doing in front of her.

Junko pulled away from Ai and looked at Saki. She was blushing intensely and was clearly shocked.

Ai leaned forward and looked up at her. She was blushing as well. "They are?"

Saki was flustered. "W-w-were you…"

She stood up. "Let's go!"

"Wait, were you two just…" She watched Junko and Ai run past her. _Oh, there's no time!_ She ran after the two of them.

The three ran across the parking lot and ducked down behind a car. "Oh, wow, there they are," said Ai. "Sorry I doubted you."

Saki shrugged. "Don't worry about it. Now, we just gotta approach them…"

"Wait," she said.

"What?"

"Didn't you say Dorami's bikes were red?" She looked back at Saki.

"What? Yes, but-"

"Those bikes are black!"

"What? Let me see!" Saki stood up and looked for herself. Sure enough, the bikes were all black except for one, which was a gradient of red and blue. "Crap, it's Korosuke."

"Who?" Junko asked.

She crouched back down. "A rival gang. Now what are we supposed to do?"

Ai squinted. "Why don't we just take their bikes?"

She stared at her. _Is she serious?  
_

"That's not such a bad idea," Junko said.

"Wh- you're on board with this, Marshmallow?"

"Well, what if Dorami doesn't come? I think we should take this chance," she explained.

 _I can't believe this…_ She laughed quietly. "Alright, if everyone's on board…" She turned back to see the last member of Korosuke go inside. "Let's wait a bit then move."

The three of them watched in silence through the window as the last pair of purple boots disappeared from the lobby. "Alright, go go go! See if any of them left the key in!" Saki ordered.

They ran across the street and quickly began inspecting bikes. "This one has the key left in it!" Junko raised her hand, yelling.

"Shh! Be quiet! I'll show you how to turn it on in a second. See if there's any money in any of the other bikes!"

She nodded and began taking money out of the bikes that had them.

Saki found a bike that still had a key. _Yes! Finally, I got one!_ She turned to Ai. "Found one yet?"

"Yeah, I just got one. How do I turn it on?"

"Take the money from the rest of the bikes first. We'll need all the cash we can get." She started frisking bikes herself.

"I'm done!" Junko yelled.

"Alright, how much money you got?"

"About 10,000 yen!"

"Nice! What about you, Bandages?"

"Only 3,500..."

"That's still good! All right, get on your bikes and back up. Don't start them yet. We don't want to tip them off."

Each one got on their bikes and began walking backwards. The sound of metal scraping against the ground filled the air.

"Oh, and put up your kickstands!"

Once the three of them were in line together, Saki started her spiel. "You two know how to ride a bike?"

"I know how to ride a regular one…" Junko answered.

"It's like that, just heavier and harder to turn. And faster. Just don't fall. It'll come naturally." She turned to Ai. "You heard that, Bandages?"

She nodded. "Got it. Let's do this."

"Wait, how do you go?" Junko asked.

"Well, you turn the throt-" She stopped. She looked at her missing right arm. "Oh yeah, that's a problem."

"Oh, yeah, you're right," Ai said. "Here." She took Saki's sleeve and wrapped it over and around the throttle before tying it at the end. "Try pulling it."

She moved her arm back, and the throttle twisted back with it. "Damn, Bandages, nice work!" She looked forward. "Alright, you two ready?"

"Yes!" Junko answered.

"Ready!" Ai yelled.

"All right! Turn your keys!"

The three girls each turned their bikes' keys.

"Flip the red cutoff switch on the right side!"

Each flipped on their cutoff switch.

"Hold your left brake!"

The three squeezed the brake.

"Press the engine start button!"

The three pressed their respective buttons. Saki pressed hers with her nose. Each of their engines roared to life, resting at a gentle purr.

"Set your bike to drive!"

They switched gears.

"All right, let's go!" Saki pulled her arm back, revving her engine and taking off immediately. Her head jerked backwards with the sudden acceleration. _Whoa, I took off way too fast._ _Gotta work on that._ She went at a more leisurely pace for the sake of the two beginners following her. She turned onto the road, looking behind her to make sure Ai and Junko were following her.

Ai turned the corner first, then Junko. Each was going fairly slowly. Ai was screaming in excitement, even though they were only going 25 kilometers an hour. Junko was clearly concentrating on staying upright, but having fun nonetheless.

"Haha! Here we go, girls! Get used to your new lives!"


	14. The Priority

Saki pulled off the road. She turned just in time to see Ai go flying off her bike. "Wrong brakes!"

"WHAAAAAAA!" she screamed as she crashed into a bicycle rack they had stopped in front of. "Oof!" she exclaimed as she hit the ground with a _thud_. Her bike slid to a stop several feet away from her.

Junko stopped her bike without going flying and turned it off. "Please be careful, Ai!"

She got up, snapping her joints back to where they were supposed to be. "I'm alright." She dusted herself off. "Why'd we stop?"

"I just wanted to check on you guys," Saki explained. "See what you're thinking. Y'know, since this is all pretty new to you."

She grinned from ear to ear. "That was great! I loved every second of it!"

She gave a thumbs up. "Good to hear! What about you, Junko?"

She smiled. "I also think it was very fun."

She nodded. "Good, good." She looked up at both of them. "Well, that wasn't the only reason we stopped. We need to talk."

Ai and Junko looked at each other.

Now, first order of business." She looked down at her feet. "I think Dorami… might be gone."

The idols raised their eyebrows.

"So, we're what's left of Dorami." She looked up. "We'll have to recruit more members."

"How do we do that?" Ai asked.

She put her hand to her chin. "Typically, they would come to us, but I don't know what kind of freaks want to join a crew of zombies."

"Well, I think that would make the people who do join us even more threatening," Ai said.

"Which brings us to our second issue. When should we stop disguising ourselves as zombies?"

"I think we should wait until we have more members," Ai answered.

"Well I think we should stop now that we've finally got bikes," Junko said.

Saki looked between the two. _Crap, they don't agree?_ "Okay, this is really important, guys, so we should probably agree…"

"I'm sick of these glasses. They're digging into my ears!" Junko complained.

"But we still have business to do as humans," Ai protested.

"Like what?"

"Well, I think we should modify our bikes. If we don't, I think we'll be found out by… uh, Saki, what was their name again?"

"Who?" Saki asked.

"The enemy gang."

"Korosuke."

"I think we'll be found out by Korosuke."

"Hmm, you have a point," Junko muttered. "You're right. We should remain disguised for the time being."

Saki stared at them blankly. _They just made up just like that? What the hell?_ "A-alright, um, that settles it. We'll mod our bikes and maybe do a bit more as humans before we embrace being zombies." She turned her bike back on. "Then let's keep moving."

"Where are we going?" she asked.

"Back to Karatsu."

"Why? Isn't that where Shades is?" Ai asked.

"I have unfinished business." Saki took off.

Junko was quick to follow.

"Agh, no," Ai whispered to herself as she pulled her bike back up. She got on and rode after the two girls.

* * *

The three rode up the mountain's twists and turns slowly so as to avoid crashing. Saki's mind was blank. She slowed once she reached the parking lot. Instead of braking, she just let herself slow to an eventual stop before turning off her bike.

Junko and Ai pulled up behind her, braking normally.

She put down the kickstand, untied her sleeve, and got off the bike silently. She took off her glasses and put them in her pocket.

The two others looked at one another, confused. They turned off their bikes and got off as well. They stared at Saki, who was making her way towards a fence at the edge of the parking lot.

She walked slowly towards the fence, each step more slowly than the last. When she finally reached it, she knelt next to it and inspected it. Though the entire fence was quite aged and looked monotonous, there was a segment where one could easily tell the wood had been replaced if they looked at it closely enough.

"Where are we?" Ai asked, walking up behind her.

There was no response. She stood up and looked over the edge of the cliff the fence was on. There was nothing noticeably off about the foliage at the bottom, but it seemed less thick than the foliage around it. She fell to her knees, letting the bright lights of the city blind her through the fence's holes.

"Saki? Are you okay?" She put a hand on her shoulder.

Saki shuddered in response to the sudden contact, but didn't do anything to stop it.

Ai sat down beside her. Junko did the same on Saki's other side. They both looked out to where she was looking.

She knelt, staring into the lights of Karatsu, for what felt like an eternity. After what felt like hours had passed, she finally spoke. "This place… is very important to Dorami."

They both looked at her.

"This is the place where we would challenge Korosuke most of the time." She looked up at the sky. "We would settle feuds by driving towards this railing, and the person who chickened out first would lose." She smiled for a second, before letting her lips back into a frown. "It's now very important to Dorami for a different reason." She looked down into the trees below. "Twenty-one years ago, I drove through this railing and died when my bike exploded after it hit the ground."

Ai and Junko gasped and looked down to where Saki was looking.

"When I died, I left behind the one person I cared about the most. The one person who I needed the most." A tear rolled down her cheek. "I miss her so much."

"Saki…" Ai whispered.

She looked back up at the sky. "And now… I have a second chance. We can get to biking once I fix the mess I made." She turned to Ai. "So, yeah. I'm okay."

She smiled.

Saki kept staring. She reached out in front of her, putting her hand on her face. "Oh, there you are. Jeez, I've been wearing those sunglasses too long. That was super bright. I can't see anything. Our eyes aren't super bright compared to the city."

She laughed. "Here." She stood up and pulled Saki up with her, guiding her to her bike. "Sit down and put your sunglasses back on. They'll help your eyes readjust."

Junko walked over, wiping tears from her face.

"How are you planning on finding this person?" she asked.

"I don't know. But I will."

Junko sniffled.

Saki furrowed her brows. "Junko, are you crying?"

"W-well, perhaps a little…"

She smiled. "Thanks guys, it's good to have ya."


	15. The Partnership

"Alright, Tae-chan, I need you to do something for me."

Tae looked up from chewing up the couch with a pillow still in her mouth. "Grrhmn?"

"I need Koutarou-san to be distracted for a while, so I need you to run away," Sakura explained.

"Ghhrhuh…"

"I just need to keep him busy for a while. Maybe the whole day. Just promise to come back by sunset. It should be fun!"

She stood up, slouching.

"Will you help me?"

Her head tilted to the side. "Grhrhhhh," she moaned. She immediately turned and jumped straight through a window and over the balcony into the backyard.

Sakura watched as she scaled the fence and started running down the beach on all fours.

"What was that?" a distant child's voice asked.

She smirked. "Tae-chan just got out! Where's Koutarou-san?" she yelled with fake panic in her voice.

"He's in his room! I'll go get him!"

She stepped outside onto the balcony and looked down the beach. She could barely see her. _Wow, she runs really fast…_ She heard the door to the zombies' bedroom slam open behind her. She put on a scared expression and looked to see Koutarou standing in the doorway.

"Where did she go?" he asked through the broken window.

She pointed to the left, where Tae had gone.

"I'm going out for a bit." He turned and left through the same door he had come in through.

She turned around and stared at the sky. A childish grin grew across her face. _This just might work…_ She heard the sound of the van starting and waited until it faded out into silence. Then she turned and ran into Koutarou's room, where she found his cell phone laying on the desk. _Yes!_ She picked up the phone and opened it, navigating to the call menu. She pulled a piece of paper out of her pocket and typed in the number she had written on it. She held the phone to her ear and listened to it ring.

"Hello?" The voice on the other end asked.

"H-hello, is this Shinta Okoba?"

"It is. How can I help you?"

"I-I have some information on the story about the bridge girls."

There was a brief pause on the other side. "Who is this?"

"I'm not telling you until you prove that you know what you're talking about!"

"Hmm. What do you want to know?"

"Huh?"

"I know a lot about the story already."

"Not about the story, about the girls!"

"Oh. Well, when I met them on the train, I knew they weren't… normal."

"W-what do you mean?"

"Well, they… weren't exactly human."

She gasped. _Did they tell him they were zombies? We aren't supposed to let anyone know!_

"Your reaction tells me a lot, you know."

"W-what?"

"You knew they were zombies, too, didn't you?"

"They told you!?" she yelled.

"Well, to be fair, I overheard them, they didn't tell me. But yes, I figured it out."

Her breathing picked up. _No one's supposed to know! He found out? What do we do?_

"Are you a zombie, too?"

"H-huh? N-n-no! I-"

"That doesn't matter, really. You had information?"

She swallowed. "R-right! We need to meet in person." _What am I doing? He's gonna find out I'm a zombie, too!_

"How soon? I'm free in about 15 minutes."

"As soon as possible." She looked back down at the paper she had written on. "At the Myokenebisu Shrine."

She heard the clicking of keys on a keyboard. "Give me a second to see where that is."

"Okay." She walked over to the window facing the front yard and peeked through it. There was no sign of Koutarou.

"I can be there in 20 minutes."

"O-okay! Great! I'll see you there," she said.

"Goodbye."

"Bye!" She flipped the phone shut dramatically and turned to Koutarou's closet. _I need a disguise…_

* * *

Several minutes later, Sakura emerged from Koutarou's room wearing a pair of shades, a baseball cap, and khaki pants added onto her usual outfit. She ran straight for the genkan.

"Sakura-chan?"

She yelped in surprise. She turned to see Lily watching her from the end of the hallway.

"Oh. How are you, Lily-chan?"

"Where are you going?"

She turned back to the door. _She always gets right to questioning, huh?_ "I'm going out."

"Does Mr. Koutarou know about this?"

She paused. She turned her head to see Lily with a stern expression on her face. "No." She stepped back into the hallway and walked towards the child. "Don't tell him."

"You let Tae-chan out, didn't you?"

"N-no, she broke through the window unexpectedly!"

Her eyebrows lowered in suspicion.

She turned back to the genkan and put her shoes on. She opened the door and gave one last look at the child.

"Be careful, Sakura-chan…"

She walked out and closed the door.

* * *

Sakura stood under the shrine, nervously looking left and right. She had gotten a number of weird looks, and a bit of green skin still poked out at the bottom half of her face. She was afraid of what would happen if anyone got a closer look at her. It had been a short walk, but going out in public as a zombie terrified her, especially in the daytime, so it felt like an eternity.

Finally, a gray-haired man with a slight stubble appeared from around a corner. He made eye contact with her and walked at a brisk pace to meet up with her.

 _Here he is,_ she thought to herself. _Oh, what am I doing?_

Shinta finally reached her. The two stood in silence across from one another for a long time before he stuck out his hand. "Shinta Okoba."

She stared at his hand, but kept her hands hidden in her pockets. She looked up at his face.

He retracted his hand. "Alright. I met you in person. Now what did you want to talk about?"

She turned away from him. "Follow me." She led him across the street into an alleyway next to a hair salon. Once they had finally reached the end, she turned around and looked at him. "They took the train to Imari?"

"Yeah. I paid for their tickets."

"You did what!?" she yelled in anger. "Wasn't it obvious they were running away?"

He shrugged. "They would have gotten the money one way or another. They looked interesting. Dressed peculiarly. They were the girls from the bridge video. I had to talk to them."

She looked to the side. _I guess so_ _…_

"You're a zombie, too."

She popped right back up. "E-eh? No, no, no, no, no, you've got it all wrong!" She gestured very energetically, waving her hands in the air in front of her.

"Your hands and face are green."

She stopped, realized that he already knew, and sighed. _What am I gonna do?_ She removed her sunglasses.

"Whoa!" He bent over and stared at her sunken red eyes. "That's really creepy."

"I died ten years ago in some kind of accident."

He raised an eyebrow, intrigued. "What kind of accident?"

She shook her head. "I don't remember. I don't remember anything prior to waking up as a zombie."

"That's a shame." He put his hand to his chin. "Do you think you could tell me a bit about the three bridge girls?"

She looked up. "O-oh, right. Well, Ai-chan and Junko-chan were idols when they were still alive, and Saki-chan was a biker."

He was intrigued. "A biker? That does make sense. She was pretty threatening."

"Also, I accidentally ripped off her arm when she was jumping out of the van."

His eyes shot wide open. "You have her arm?"

"Huh? Yes…"

"Can I see it?"

"What? Now? I don't have it with me…"

He shrugged. "That's alright. Are there more zombies?"

"Well, there's Ai-chan, Saki-chan, Junko-chan, Lily-chan, Yuu-" _Wait. Why am I telling him this?_ "Wait! No! Why am I telling you? I came here to get information from you!"

He was taken aback. "What do you want to hear?"

"Where are they now?"

"I don't know. Probably Imari."

"How were they dressed?"

"Ai and Junko looked like normal people. Saki looked like an idiot. They were all dressed very heavily for the summer. Probably hiding the fact that they're zombies."

"How did they get those clothes?"

"I don't know. My guess is they stole them, since they had no money."

"Were they alright?"

"They seemed okay. Aside from one missing an arm and all."

"What else do you know?"

"Well, what do you know? This should be an exchange, not an interview."

"Huh?"

He shook his head. "Listen. You and I both want to find these girls. Maybe we should work together to find them."

She looked up at him. "Huh? You'll help me find them?"

He nodded. "I will. But first, you've gotta tell me everything about your situation. I want all the details."

She thought about it for a second. _I'm not supposed to tell anyone about it… but, if he has resources I can use to find them, then it's probably worth sacrificing that privacy…_ She looked back up. "Alright. I'll tell you everything."


	16. The Discoveries

Saki awoke to the sensation of tapping on her shoulder. "What?"

"It's Korosuke," Ai said quietly. "Be quiet."

She looked down to see Korosuke members walking around the parking lot. "Good thing we opted to sleep in the woods," she whispered.

She nodded. "We should modify our bikes today. If Korosuke finds us with what are obviously their bikes, I doubt it will end well. What do we need to do it?"

She put her hand to her chin. "There's not a lot we can do while we're homeless, but we can probably spray paint them for now." She looked around. "I want to get an apartment or something eventually, though. Living in the woods and at bus stations sucks."

"Where would we get the money for that?" she asked. "We don't have any source of income."

She looked back up at the sky. "I know how to make money as a biker. We should be fine."

"Hey, Miss Misa, I don't think we're gonna find them here."

Saki and Ai looked down at the parking lot to see a blonde Korosuke member conversing with a silver-haired one. The silver-haired one had a massive collar that resembled a cone one would put on a dog. _Misa, huh? She the new boss?_

"Damn it, Asuka! I told you not to keep the keys in it! You and Kumiko are such a pain."

"W-what about Naomi? Her bike got stolen, too…"

"Yes, but she's not always messing things up for us. You two are infuriating sometimes, you know that?"

"She's really harsh," Ai whispered to the two girls.

"Why are they looking here?" Junko asked.

"They probably think it was a targeted attack," Saki explained. "But who do they think did it?"

The three of them watched as they got back on their bikes. The blonde one sat on the back of another girl's bike, sulking. They all rode out of the parking lot. The sound of engines slowly faded into the ambient sounds of nature.

Saki stood up and stretched. "Alright, let's go get some paint." She stood her bike up.

"Wait, I don't think it's a good idea to take the bikes with us right now," Ai said.

She hesitated. "Why?"

"Korosuke is actively looking for us. We need to avoid confrontation right now."

She sighed. "Man, I hate being careful…" She gently laid her bike back down and walked out of the woods.

"That's obvious," she replied as she followed her into the road.

They started walking down the mountain's winding path. "If I remember correctly, there's a convenience store to the north," Saki explained. "So we should just go there and buy some spray paint and stuff." She sighed. "Man, walking sucks… this is gonna take forever!"

"We've been walking for several days now. I would have thought you'd be used to it," Ai said.

"Yeah, but I mean, we just rode across the prefecture! How could I not miss that?"

"Well, we have to be careful. We don't know what Korosuke is like in 2018. They might be totally different from the Korosuke you know."

Saki shrugged. "Yeah. Everything's changed. Even the stuff I thought wouldn't."

"At least we got bikes," she pointed out. "Imagine if we had come up empty-handed."

She chuckled. "Yeah, that would have sucked."

A car passed. The three girls were silent.

She looked over her shoulder at the two girls following her. Ai was strolling along at a normal pace, looking at the sky and smiling. Junko was taking small steps and looking down at her feet. _She hasn't said anything all day…_

* * *

"And that's everything," Sakura concluded.

Shinta's mouth was held open. "Wow."

"Yeah."

He put a hand to his chin. "This is something I have to figure out." He stood straight up and put his notepad back in his pocket. "I'll go home and do some research. We should meet here again tomorrow at the same time."

She nodded. "Alright." She put back on the hat and sunglasses.

"Bring the arm next time. I'll bring something for you as well."

"You want to see the arm?" she asked.

He nodded. "Please."

The two turned and walked out of the alleyway. They nodded at each other then went their separate ways. Sakura walked back to the house silently. _Did I really just do that? I just told a reporter about the project…_ She looked down. _If he goes back on his word and publishes what I told him, we're done for…_ She shook her head. _No, this was a necessary sacrifice to find the girls. I just have to trust that he won't go back on his word once we finally get them back._ Once Sakura reached the house, she went around to the backyard and took off her disguise. She put the glasses, hat, and pants in a bush next to the lower level porch then went inside. She walked up the stairs and into the girls' bedroom, where she sat on the couch and sighed. _I just hope that this all works out…_ She looked around. _Where are Yuugiri and Lily-chan?_ She stood up and walked back out into the hallway.

"Oh my, that is concerning." She heard the muffled voice of Yuugiri.

 _Oh, there they are._ She rushed towards the source of her voice. _What are they doing in Koutarou-san's room?_ She opened the door without warning. "Hello, Yuugir-" She stopped.`

Lily was seated in the computer chair and Yuugiri was standing behind her. On the computer screen there were a number of tabs open, but the one the two were currently looking at was Shinta's profile on Sagazine. Koutarou's cell phone was on the desk with the call log open. They each slowly turned to look at her.

Sakura looked at the computer screen, then back to the two girls. There was a moment of silence.

Yuugiri started. "Sakura-han, we need to talk."


	17. The Flight Path

"Hmmm," Saki mumbled aloud, inspecting the difference between the paint can she was holding and the one on the shelf. _I can't decide…_

"I wouldn't have taken you for a choosy buyer," Ai said smugly.

"Dorami uses Hibiscus, but the closest this store has is Maroon Flush or Camelot, and I can't figure out which is better."

"What?"

"I'm talking colors."

"Oh."

"These two aren't nearly as bright as they need to be. I'm just choosing the closest one in saturation." She held the Camelot close to her face.

"Alright," Ai said. "Just hurry up."

 _Hmmm, it's a bit in the middle, but both are super close! I don't know which one is closer!_ She put one can on the shelf and picked up the other one. Then she switched cans again. And again. "Man, this would be so much easier with two hands…" _I guess I'll just choose one at random…_ She looked between the two. _But what if I choose the wrong one?_ She put both back on the shelf and held her hand to her chin, thinking. _I'd have to see how they each look at night…_

"Oh, just get both!" Ai yelled, grabbing both cans and putting them in their basket.

Saki was caught off-guard by this, but was too flustered to respond angrily. "O-okay. Well, we're gonna need more than that." She grabbed two more cans of each color and put them in the basket. She looked down at their haul. They had deodorant, three hairbrushes, two birthday cards, a can of primer, six cans of spray paint, and four rolls of masking tape. Ai was also wearing a small backpack they had picked up. "Alright. Is this everything?"

"Yes, I think so. Anything else you want, Junko?"

She looked up. "Huh? Oh. No, I'm fine." She looked back down at her feet.

She exhaled slightly. "Junko…"

She glanced back up at them, then returned her gaze to her feet. "I'm thinking about what you said last night, Saki."

"Huh? What about it?"

She sighed. "I need to be alone for a moment." She walked past the two girls out of the store.

The two stared at the doors for a moment before Saki sighed. "One of us should probably go talk to her."

"Let's let her have a minute."

She turned to Ai and smiled. "You really know how she works, huh?"

"What do you mean?"

"I'm just saying. You two seem to care about each other a lot."

Ai looked to the side and blushed. "Yeah, you could say that. I guess we just relate to each other a lot."

She smirked. _Yeah, you keep calling it that._ "Let's go check out."

* * *

Saki put the stuff they had bought in the backpack. She struggled to zip it up due to her lack of an arm, but she managed. She attempted and failed to slip it onto her back. It fell to the floor. "Damn it…"

"Just give it to me," Ai replied. She took the backpack and slipped it on with ease. "Are you sure you're fine with only one arm?"

"I'm fine. Let's go find Marshmallow." She stuck her hand in her pocket.

The two girls walked out of the store together.

Junko was sitting on a bench in front of the store staring at her feet. Her fists were clenched.

They each took a seat on either side of her. "Junko, are you ready to talk?" Ai asked.

She nodded silently.

"Alright." She put her hand on her shoulder. "Go ahead."

There was a long moment of silence before she spoke. She turned to Saki. "Saki… your speech really moved me. You were so honest and sincere… it was surprising." She looked back at her feet. "I… admire your courage."

"My courage?" she blinked.

"W-well, we've known each other for less than a week, but… you opened up and told us something very… important to you."

"Well, you guys deserved to know."

There was a long pause.

"I want to tell you how I died, too," Junko said quietly.

She stared at her silently. _I already know how you died. I googled you._

"It's very hard. I still haven't come to terms with it." A tear fell from her face. "But you deserve to know. You deserve to know… because you're my friend."

 _I-I'm your friend? What?_

Her breathing picked up. "I… I died… I… I…" She shook her head. "I died in a plane crash!" she yelled.

Saki was shocked by the sudden change in volume. She looked around to make sure no one else was within earshot.

Ai put her other hand on Junko's chest to support her.

"Right when I was finally getting somewhere with my performances… right when I thought that my future was bright…" She covered her mouth with her hand. "Everything's been changing so fast… everything I had worked for… it all fell apart in the span of a minute." More tears fell from her eyes. "I'm still recovering, and I… I just thought that… if you were brave enough to ask for my help…" She lowered her hand and looked towards her. Tears were welled in her eyes. "I'd be brave enough to ask for yours."

She smiled. "Yeah, I'll help you." _That's what your crew is for.  
_

She smiled and looked back down. "Thank you…"

Saki looked up at Ai. She was rubbing Junko's back softly. _She already knew…_ She shook her head. _Doesn't matter._ She leaned down to her level. "You can talk to me anytime."

* * *

Yuugiri started. "Sakura-han, we need to talk."

Sakura's eyebrows quivered. Her eyes shot to the computer screen. "What are you looking at?"

Lily turned to her. "You went and talked to a reporter?" she asked sternly.

Her brows furrowed. "He has information and resources that can help us find the girls."

"Sakura-han, Lily and I are worried about what you're doing. We're concerned that, by searching for them, you are putting us in danger."

"It's a necessary risk to find them! We have to!"

"Our safety, our privacy… these are not things you should be sacrificing!" Yuugiri yelled.

"Why?! Why do we have to find them?" Lily asked.

Sakura looked down. "I think that… even though we're zombies, we can do this. As long as we don't give up, we can do anything. As long as we all work together. We can all be idols, together!"

"But they don't want to be idols! I don't want to an idol anymore, either! I just want to live a normal life!"

She swallowed. _She doesn't want to, either?!_ "Maybe if you tried it, you'd like it!"

"You don't know anything! I've already been performing for a long time! I already know what it's like and I don't want to anymore!"

She got up in Lily's face. "I know everything I need to know! It's you who needs to understand that this is important!"

Tears were forming in Lily's eyes. "I-I don't want to!"

"You will, as soon as you get on stage! You need to stop being so selfish-" Sakura's spiel was cut short as Yuugiri's hand collided with her cheek. She was knocked off her feet by the impact. She fell onto the floor and looked up at the courtesan standing above her.

"Sakura-han. You need to stop thinking about yourself. You need to think about the other people here with you."

She sat up slowly. "I-I am…"

"No, you're not."

She looked at the two girls, each of which were staring at her intensely. _Why don't they understand?_ She stood up and ran out of the room, slamming the door behind her.


	18. The Child and The Arm

"Alright, that's one coat done!" Saki stood up, smiling. The bikes were all shining a vibrant red hue, as were certain parts of her body that she had accidentally sprayed in the process.

"Oh, the air is so thick I can barely breathe," Ai choked.

She shrugged. "Then don't. We're zombies. We don't need to."

"How are you talking, then?"

"I only breathe when I talk. Stopped breathing, like, an hour ago. It's that easy."

"We can really just do that?"

"I know, right? It's freaky."

She shrugged and stopped breathing. "Well, now what?"

She laid down under a tree. "Now we wait for the paint to dry and apply another coat. It should be a few hours." She closed her eyes. _Maybe I can get in a nap…_ Saki put her arm under her head and looked at the sky shining through the trees. _Nice day._ She felt the warm rays of the sun casting light on her face. _Ahh, nice._ She noted to herself how nice and warm it was outside, but then realized that she actually felt really cold. _What? Is it…_ She put her arm up toward the sky. She watched as her loose sleeve moved along with her stump, but she felt the hand at the end of her arm move. _Did… did I just move my hand?_ She looked at her stump. She twisted her wrist around and felt her arm rise and fall against the cold floor. She sat up. "I just moved my arm!" she shouted.

Ai looked up from where she and Junko were laying. "The missing one?"

"Yeah!"

"You moved it?!"

"Yeah!"

Junko sat up as well and stared at her in shock. "Where is it? Do you know?"

"I think it's a fridge… lemme see." She turned her wrist upwards, extended her fingers, and put her wrist back on the floor. She then curled her fingers back up and felt her arm being moved across the ground. She repeated this process until she hit a wall. "I just hit a wall."

"Well, try turning," Ai suggested.

Saki rotated her wrist and pulled on the wall to reorient her arm. It just ended up rolling over. "Crap, I think I'm stuck." Saki rolled around her fingers and her wrist in an attempt to restore mobility, but there was nothing she could do. "Great." She slumped down in her spot. "Yup, I can't move it anymore."

"Maybe you could try knocking for help," Junko pointed out.

She glared at her. "Egghead has it, remember? What's she gonna do? Put me right side up? She'll probably put it somewhere I can't move it."

"Well, there's more than just Sakura there. Maybe one of the others will get it."

She laughed. "What, Shrimpy, Braindead, and the third one? No way. I'm not taking that risk."

"What better option do you have?"

"I think it's worth a shot," Ai piped in.

She put her hand to her chin. _Maybe. Worst case scenario, Egghead gets to it and locks it up._ "Alright, I'll try."

* * *

Lily sat in the sleeping room with Yuugiri. "I don't like what she's doing," she whispered loudly.

"There's no need to keep your voice down. She's in the attic."

She sighed. "I'm worried about her. She's scaring me."

"Yes, her actions are alarming."

"She's the one who let Tae out, I bet."

"Perhaps."

There was a loud knocking from somewhere in the house.

Lily stood up. "That's probably Mr. Koutarou! I'll get it!" She ran out the door, down the stairs, and to the front door. She opened it expectantly, but found no one there. "Huh?" She peered out the door and found that no one was around. "Who did that?" she wondered aloud.

The knocking continued.

"Where's that coming from?" She closed the door and walked back inside. She waited for another knock, this time keeping an open ear.

The knock came from the kitchen.

"Huh? Who's there?" She walked in and looked around. There was no one there. She squinted and peered around the kitchen suspiciously. "What's going on?" she mumbled.

The knock came from the fridge.

"What?" She whispered aloud as she approached the machine. She reached out towards the handle and swung it open. Then she screamed.

* * *

"Something's got me! Something's got me!" Saki screamed in panic, flinging her stump back and forth through the air. "GYAH! GET OFF OF ME!"

"What's she doing?!" Ai shouted back.

"I don't know! I think she's tossing me around!" _Let go of_ me!

"Is she hurting you?"

She felt the movement stop. "Well, no, but, wait, she stopped."

"Huh?"

Suddenly, she felt the sensation of touch. It moved across her undead skin. "Wait, no, she's… rubbing me?"

"Rubbing you?"

"She's like, rubbing me. In different directions." _What is this?_ "She's doing it in, like, multiple directions. Over and over. Like this." She motioned with her other hand. "What's she doing?"

"Maybe she's trying to tell you something," Junko suggested.

"Hmmm…" She felt each movement carefully and traced out where each touch started and ended. After a few seconds, she gasped. "Someone just spelled out the word 'hello' on my arm!"

* * *

Lily began tracing another 'hello'. She sat on the floor of the kitchen with the fridge door open in front of her. "Come on…" she whispered aloud.

After a moment, the limp hand perked up and waved at her.

She stood up, smiling. "It worked…"

The hand put its pointer and middle finger together and hit it against the thumb repeatedly. It curled the rest of its fingers into the palm.

"What…?"

It kept doing the motion while flicking its wrist around.

"Oh, writing! You want to write!" She turned and walked to Koutarou's office, taking a pen and multiple sheets of paper. She laid the hand on top of the paper and put the pen in its hand.

The hand rolled onto its side, using its ring finger for support. Then it began to write.

Lily read the writing aloud. "Who… is… this." She picked up the arm and traced 'Lily' into it over and over until it gave a thumbs up. She put it back down onto the paper and watched it write again. "Who… is… that?! What?! She doesn't remember me?" She picked up the arm and, quite angrily, traced 'young' into it until she received another thumbs up.

* * *

"It's Shrimpy," Saki told her teammates, who had come closer. "The kid."

The girls sighed. "That's a relief," Ai said. "Ask her how she's doing."

"Alright. She just put me down again. How… are… you… doing." There was a brief pause. A confused look appeared on Saki's face.

"What's she saying?"

"I'm not sure. I think she was saying 'good', but halfway through she started writing something else." She concentrated. "'Bad'."

"Oh no," Junko reacted. "Why?"

"Let me ask first." She gave a thumbs up. She felt her arm being placed back down on the paper. She wrote the kanji for 'Why'. She felt herself being picked up again and more kanji was traced into her. "She's writing. Hold on." _What's this?_ "I think it's… Sakura?"

"What?! Why?" Ai asked.

"Gimme a second, damn it! She's gotta put me down first!" She closed her eyes and envisioned the paper that the child had put her down onto. "Why." She kept staring forward for a second, but soon found herself perplexed.

"What?" Ai asked.

"I have no idea what this says. It feels like she's writing gibberish. I'm gonna give, like, a what."

* * *

The hand's wrist tilted backwards.

"What does that mean? You don't understand?" She thought about other ways to say 'searching'. She started tracing 'finding' instead, whose kanji was a bit less complex.

The hand hesitantly gave a thumbs up.

She put it back down and watched it write. "She's… looking… for… us." She picked it up and traced 'yes'. She got the thumbs up immediately. "Wow, you're getting so good at this!" She put it back down and watched it write. "How… close… is… she." She put a hand to her chin. "Aw, how am I gonna explain that?" She pondered for a moment. Then she began to transcribe a name.

* * *

"Okoba?! No!" Saki yelled out in panic.

"What?! She found him?!" Ai yelled back.

"Crap, crap, crap!" she exclaimed to no one in particular.

"This is really bad," Junko moaned.

* * *

Lily watched the hand spasm in confusion. "Do you get it or not?" she whispered.

Slowly, the hand held up a thumbs up.

She sighed. She put the hand back on the paper, but heard the door open outside. "Oh no," she whispered to herself. She picked back up the arm, turned off the light, and listened closely.

"Come on, you stupid zombie," Koutarou said softly.

"Hrrrgah…"

She listened as Koutarou went up the stairs with Tae, then grabbed the pen and paper and left the room. She ran out onto the back porch and put the paper back down and gave the hand back the pen. She watched it write. "What… was… that." She picked it up and traced 'Koutarou' into it. She watched it flip back in confusion again. She sighed and instead started writing 'sunglasses'. This time, she got a thumbs up. She put the arm back down and watched it write excitedly. "Okay… here's… what… you… need… to… do…"


	19. The Unexpected Reaction

After an hour, the two had a concrete system for communication. Lily would trace out a message, one word at a time, until she was finished, waiting for the thumbs up to move on to the next word. Then the arm would simply write down the bridge girls' message. The system was slow and tedious, but it worked. She didn't know much about the girls, but the girls had learned a lot about the situation at the house and had advised her on what to do next.

Lily opened the door to the main sleeping area, holding Saki's arm behind her. She walked over to Yuugiri with childish confidence and sat down next to her. She hid the arm between the cushions of the couch.

"Hello, Lily. How are you?"

She looked up. "I'm good!" She looked at Tae, who was gnawing on her own leg. The window she broke in the morning had been duct taped shut. "We should talk to Mr. Koutarou about Sakura."

Yuugiri was surprised by the child's bluntness. "My, how bold…" She stood up. "Very well."

Lily rushed ahead. She was the first to reach his office. She looked and saw Yuugiri a few feet behind her. She took a deep breath and grabbed the doorknob. "Mr. Koutarou? Can we talk to you about something?" She opened the door slowly.

Koutarou was seated at his desk with his hands folded in front of his face. "Yes."

Yuugiri and Lily walked in side-by-side. They both stood in front of him. Lily looked up at Yuugiri from the corner of her eye.

"We have some concerns about Sakura's behavior, don't we, Lily?"

"Yeah," she said sullenly.

"Hm? What's the issue?" He asked.

Yuugiri elaborated. "Sakura has been investigating the locations of the three girls."

"Yes, I know," he said.

Lily was taken aback. "You knew?"

"Of course I knew. I know everything that goes on around here."

"Nuh-uh! You know what she did today?" she asked.

"What, Lily?" he asked in a playful tone.

"She told a reporter we're zombies!" she shouted, her fists clenched.

Koutarou visibly flinched. The playful expression he had on before returned to a neutral one. "Is that so?"

"Yes," Yuugiri said. "We suspect she had Tae jump through the window so that you would leave her alone to do this."

"How do you know?"

"Well, I don't know that she had Tae jump out the window," Lily explained, "but she used your phone to call him when you ran out! Then she left and met with him!"

He put a hand to his chin. "Could one of you grab Sakura, please?"

Lily happily turned and ran out the room. She ran up the stairs and into the attic on all fours. She couldn't see a thing. "Sakura-chan?"

All that could be heard was a soft "What?"

"Mr. Koutarou wants to see you."

There was a sigh. "Alright." One shadow rose above the rest. Sakura emerged from the darkness and followed Lily down the stairs into Koutarou's office. Lily entered, then Sakura. She walked to the front of the room and stood directly across from him.

"Lily here just told me that you went to meet a reporter today."

She froze. She glared at Lily out the corner of her eye.

"LOOK AT ME WHEN I'M TALKING TO YOU, YOU STUPID ZOMBIE!" He stood up and slammed on his desk.

"Y-yes!" Her eyes shot straight back to him.

He put his hand to her chin. "Did you tell him you lived in a house of zombies?"

"Y-yes, but-"

"Do you not remember what I said about keeping the fact that you're zombies a secret?"

"Yes, but he-"

"WHAT WERE YOU THINKING?!" he shouted.

"W-w-well, I…"

He sat back down. "Explain yourself."

She sighed. "I've been trying to find Ai, Junko and Saki."

"I know."

"L-let me finish! I wanted to find them because… the other day, when I got up on that stage and performed, it felt absolutely magical. I was so excited to do it with the girls when they were awake, but they just up and quit before they even had a chance to experience it! We have to get them back! For the sake of the group! For the sake of Saga! Once they get up on stage and perform, they'll realize what I'm talking about." She pointed over her shoulder at the two zombies behind her. "And so will they! I have to find them by any means necessary!"

There was a moment of silence.

Koutarou looked up at her. "Is this how you really feel?"

She nodded.

"I see." He stood up. "Lily. Yuugiri."

"Yes?"

"Yes, Mr. Koutarou?"

He pushed his glasses further up on his face. "You two should be helping Sakura, not interfering."

"H-huh?" Sakura asked.

"What?!" Lily shouted.

He looked at Sakura. "Sakura. You've made a few missteps. Please consult me before you make any further decisions. You're free to go."

"O-okay," she said, confused. She walked out of the room slowly, closing the door behind her.

The zombies stared at their producer. There was a moment of silent tension in the room.

"You two could stand to be a bit more like Sakura," he said.

"W-what?" Lily asked. "I thought you were mad at her!"

"You two have just been laying around, doing nothing. It would be nice to see you put some work into something." He turned his back to the girls. "I expect to see you help in her investigation from now on."

"No!"

He turned his head. "What did you say?"

"I said no!" Lily pouted. "I don't want to investigate! I just wanna be a regular girl!"

He turned his entire body to them, slamming his hands on the desk. "YOU CAN'T BE A REGULAR GIRL, YOU STUPID ZOMBIE! YOU'RE A ZOMBIE! I'M PROVIDING YOU WITH THE ONE THING THAT A ZOMBIE COULD POSSIBLY DO! SAKURA IS THE ONLY ONE WHO APPRECIATES IT!"

Lily immediately started crying. She dived into and clung to Yuugiri's side. Yuugiri was speechless.

He sat back down and turned around in his chair. "I should have chosen someone else," he muttered to himself.

Yuugiri stood there for a moment before taking Lily by the hand and leading her out of the office, shutting the door behind her.


	20. The Overexcited Girl

Sakura emerged from the bathroom to find Lily and Yuugiri sitting on the couch.

Lily was looking slightly downward, her eyes wide open and her hands on her knees. Yuugiri had an arm wrapped around her and was whispering things into her ear. Tae was in the corner, already asleep.

She walked over to the lightswitch. "Lights out, everyone. Time for bed." She flicked it off, but still saw the zombies' glowing eyes in the dark now staring at her. She laid down in her bed and listened to the other two sigh and get into bed themselves. She closed her eyes and smiled. _They'll have to help me now,_ she thought to herself. She drifted peacefully into sleep.

* * *

"Yuugiri-chan…"

The older woman woke up and noticed a pair of red glowing eyes kneeling over her. "Mmm? What is it, Lady Lily?"

"I'm scared…"

She sat up and pulled her into a light embrace. "Don't worry. I'm sure everything will be alright."

She pushed her away. "No it won't! I don't want to be an idol anymore… I don't wanna do this…" she sniffled.

"I understand, but there's nothing we can do," Yuugiri said. "His ruling is final."

She turned away. "There is too something we can do."

"Oh? What's that?"

"We could run away, like the bridge girls. We could find them, and they could help us!" she smiled in the dark.

Sakura rolled over and mumbled something quietly.

The two girls looked at her then back at each other. There was an unspoken agreement to keep their voices down. "Lily, I don't think this is the best idea…" Yuugiri protested. "What if you get hurt?"

She stood up straight and wiped her nose. "I'll deal with it."

She reached up to her and grabbed her hand. "Lily, please reconsider…"

"No!" She swatted her hand away. She walked over to the couch quietly and took out the arm. "This is Saki-chan's arm," she explained. "We can use it to find them! And then we can all be the bridge girls!"

She sighed. "I don't think it's wise to leave this place. We have a good home here."

She pouted. "Maybe for you, but this place is terrible for me! It's boring, and ugly, and now it's scary! I'd rather be having fun with them, even if they don't have a house."

"Perhaps being an idol isn't so bad…?"

She stomped angrily. "I don't wanna be one!"

"I'm not a big proponent of it either, but what other option do we have?"

"What's a proponent?"

"A supporter."

"Oh. Well we do have another option! We can join the bridge girls and do whatever they do with them!"

Yuugiri sighed. "There's no convincing you."

Lily nodded. "I've already got it all figured out!"

She yawned. "Could I at least convince you to get some rest? It's been a long day."

She pouted. "Fine."

Yuugiri watched her get back into bed angrily. Then she laid down herself and slipped right back to sleep.

* * *

"And that's three coats!" Saki wiped off her brow, unknowingly smearing red paint on her forehead. "Look at these!"

"We can't see them," Ai pointed out. "It's dark already. How do you know the paint job is good?"

"Well, I just kinda repeated what I did for the first two. It should be fine." She blindly made her way to a tree and laid down under it. She looked up at the clear sky. "Things are finally looking up for us, huh?"

Junko nodded. "At first, I wasn't sure about the whole biker thing… I just wanted a way out of that whole situation we woke up in. But I must admit it has been nice."

Ai giggled. "Nice for biker reasons or nice for… other reasons?"

"Maybe a bit of both." She giggled as well.

Saki squinted. _What? What're they talking about? Wait, are they lying right next to each other?_ She looked up to see two pairs of glowing red eyes, inches apart. They seemed to be looking at one another. _Ah._

Ai whispered something to Junko quietly. Junko whispered something back.

She laid back down. _Whatever. It's their business._ She felt the back of her hand itch. _Oh, great._ She moved it up to her mouth and scratched it with her teeth, as she had all day, but found that it tasted like paint. She quickly released it and spit all over. "Euugh! Gross!"

"What?" Ai asked.

"I taste like paint!"

"Well, you probably painted on yourself. You should probably wash off before you go to bed."

"Where? We don't have access to a shower."

Ai shrugged in the dark. "Well, then, you'll probably just have to deal with it for now."

She sulked. "Man, being homeless sucks." She closed her eyes. _Man, I'm tired._ _Been painting and writing all day._ She yawned and put her arm behind her head. _Time for some shuteye._

* * *

Saki awoke to the sound of mockery. _Huh?_

"She looks like she ate someone," Ai laughed.

"You're right!" Junko chuckled.

She sat up and rubbed her eyes with her pointer finger and her thumb.

"Oh, Saki, don't do that!" Ai warned, stifling yet another laugh. "Your eyelids will turn red!"

 _Huh?_ She opened her eyes and looked down at herself. All over her body there were splotches of red paint. Her hand was entirely covered. "Oh, crap," she chuckled.

The sun had just started to rise, so there was just enough light for her to see herself. It seemed like the other two had woken up fairly early.

She stood up. "Alright, maybe I should wash off before we go to find Reiko." She looked at the bikes. They were vibrant and beautiful. "Oh, awesome!" She got in close to inspect the paint quality. "Wait a second… this is matte! I wanted glossy!"

"Oh, who cares? Let's go find a place to clean ourselves up. We're all pretty gross right now," Ai said.

They rolled their bikes out of the woods and onto the main road. Saki tied her sleeve to the handle just as it had been before. They all turned on their bikes.

"Ready?" Saki yelled.

Ai and Junko nodded.

"Let's ride!" She jolted forward. _Yikes, still not used to the whole sleeve thing._ She turned down the mountain path significantly faster than they had walked down it the day before. She looked behind her to see if Ai and Junko were keeping up, which they were. Once they reached the bottom, they turned into town and rode on.


	21. The Second Meeting

Sakura rose out of bed with a smile. She hopped out of bed, got dressed, and ran down to the office, paying no mind to the girl sitting on the ground smoking nor the one stuck on top of the bookshelf. She threw open the door to find Koutarou sitting behind his desk stoically.

"Koutarou-san, I'm going to meet Okoba-san!"

He stood up. "Okay. I'll watch from a distance."

"E-eh?"

"Talking to him was incredibly dangerous, but not meeting up the day after would be extremely suspicious. I'll watch from a distance to make sure you're okay, but other from that, he needs to think that nothing about your situation has changed."

She put her hand to her chin. "I guess that makes sense…"

He walked around the desk. "Get ready. You'll have to come off the same as you did yesterday."

She nodded. She turned and walked out to the back patio. She noticed Lily sitting to her left facing away from her. She started to talk, but realized it was probably a bad idea based on how things went the night before. She walked past her and pulled her disguise out of the bush. It was damp from the humidity. _Gross…_ She walked back onto the porch to find Lily staring at her over her shoulder. "Lily-chan…" she started.

"Go away," she grumbled.

She stared for another second before walking back inside. She put the clothes on over her outfit and met Koutarou by the front door.

He stared at her and smiled. "Hey, Sakura, where did you get those clothes?" he asked in a joking tone.

"H-huh? Well, I, um, got them… from your… closet?" she answered nervously with a guilty smile.

"I KNOW YOU DID, YOU STUPID ZOMBIE!" His face went stoic again. "Once we're done, I'm buying you your own disguise." He turned towards the genkan and motioned for her to put on her shoes. He was already wearing his.

"O-oh, wait, there's something I gotta grab first!" She turned and ran for the kitchen. She opened the fridge door and reached for the arm she had tossed in days before. "H-huh?" She pulled back and looked in the fridge to find nothing. _Huh._

* * *

A scream erupted from within the house. Lily jumped. She peeked in the door to see a shocked Sakura sprinting from room to room.

"Where is it?! Where is it?! Where is it?!" She ran from room to room, yelling to herself.

She crawled back to where she was sitting and hid the arm she had been experimenting with inside her pajama jacket just in time for Sakura to burst through the porch door. She looked behind her nonchalantly.

"Lily-chan, have you seen an arm?"

"An arm?" She played dumb. "What are you talking about?"

"I-it's like, well, an arm… you know, this part!" She held up her own arm and pointed to her forearm.

She shrugged. "I don't know what you're talking about," she lied.

She sprinted back into the house.

Lily sighed and pulled the arm back out. "Good thing I know how to act, huh?" she smiled for a moment. She held the arm up close to her face. "I bet you're having more fun, Saki-chan," she whispered.

* * *

Sakura burst into the main sleeping room and immediately dove for her own bed. She tore it apart, frantically looking through every crevice of every sheet.

"My, Sakura, what seems to be the matter?" Yuugiri asked.

She looked up. "Have you seen an arm?"

"An arm?" She paused and looked away. "Whatever do you mean?"

"An arm!" She pointed to her own arm again angrily. "Like this!"

She hesitated for a second then took another puff from her pipe. "I can't say I have. My apologies."

Sakura exhaled strongly and ran out of the room. She hurled herself back downstairs and rushed to the genkan. "Koutarou-san, have you seen Saki-chan's arm?"

"Her arm? No."

She moaned. "What am I gonna do? I told Okoba-san I would bring it…"

"You lost it?"

She looked at him. "Huh? Well, I guess so, yeah…"

"Tell him you lost it. He'll be disappointed, but he'll understand."

Sakura looked to the side and sighed. "I couldn't do that… that wouldn't work. There's no way."

He crossed his arms. "So you're going to bail like those three?"

"Huh?"

"You're going to give up because you think it won't work? That's the thinking of a bridge girl, you stupid zombie."

Sakura was caught off-guard by his comments. "N-no! I'm going to find them! I'll do whatever it takes!"

"Then put your shoes on."

* * *

Sakura stood under the shrine with her hands in her pockets just as she had the day before. She kept shooting nervous looks at Koutarou, who sat pretending to read a newspaper on a bench down the street. She paced back and forth nervously. _What if he catches on?_ She shook her head. _Doesn't matter. We have to see what he's uncovered._

After a few minutes, Shinta appeared from around the corner. He nodded at her and hurried his way over to where she was standing. "Do you have it?" he asked once he arrived.

"W-well, I lost it…"

He squinted. "You lost it? How do you lose something as important as that?"

"Well, I put it in the fridge a few days ago, and when I went to get it today, it wasn't there…"

He looked left and right. He noticed Koutarou looking in their general direction. "Let's go back into the alley again." He crossed the street.

Sakura looked to where he was and motioned with her hands that she was following him. He nodded in response. She ran across the street after him and followed him into the alley.

He turned around. "Is it possible that someone else in that house has the arm?"

"Huh?" She put her hand to her chin. "Well, Lily-chan and Yuugiri-chan said they hadn't seen it, and I don't think Tae-chan knows how to open doors."

"Not them. This Koutarou character."

"Huh?"

"He's the only one who actually needs to eat, right? He's the only one who would reasonably go to that fridge quite often."

"Hmm, you have a point…"

"Besides, I wouldn't trust him so much if I were you."

"Huh? Why?"

He leaned in really close. "I'm pretty sure Koutarou Tatsumi is a fake name."

"H-huh?" She blinked.

"The only Koutarou Tatsumi I was able to find is a member of the House of Councillors. It's also the name of a character from a 2014 anime called 'The Irregular at Magic High School'. I couldn't find a single Koutarou Tatsumi in this area."

"Well, maybe he's not from this area?"

He put his hands on her shoulders. "Listen to me. You shouldn't trust him. He's not who he seems." He straightened back up. "Anyway. That's one of the things I've found out over the last day. Most of what you told me seems to be correct."

"Most of it?" She cocked her head.

He reached into his pocket and pulled out a folded piece of paper. "Here. You should read this." He handed it to her.

"What's this?" She unfolded it slowly. It was multiple pages long. She finally produced a standard-size online news article. Written at the top was the headline 'Saga Teen Dies in Car Crash Outside Home', dated April 8, 2008.


	22. The Other Bikers

Saki pulled off the road next to the Matsuura River where the Chikuhi train line crossed over the water. She turned off her engine and looked behind her to see Ai and Junko do the same.

"What is this place?" Ai asked.

"A place we can wash ourselves off," she answered. She began walking her bike down behind one of the concrete pillars supporting the train line.

She looked around. "Here? What if someone sees us?"

She laughed. "No one will see us. Look how dark it is under the bridge!" she pointed. "Even if they do, they won't be able to tell we're zombies."

Ai nervously looked at Junko, who was already following Saki. She sighed and rolled her bike along with the other two.

Saki tore off her jacket, leaving it tied to her bike. She put her scarf on her seat, tossed her boots and socks to the side, took off her glasses, and ran straight for the water, leaving on her jeans and t-shirt.

"Aren't you gonna take off the rest of your clothes?" Ai asked.

Saki turned. "You have any idea how hard it is to put all this stuff on with only one arm? I'd rather just get them wet."

Ai shrugged. "Fair enough."

She jumped into the fresh river water. "Woohoo!" It was cold, but her body soon adapted. She swam back up to the surface. "Come on in, the water's great!"

"Coming!" Junko replied. She also neglected to take off her jeans, but she did at least remove her shirt. She followed Saki into the water. "Oh, it's cold…"

"Yeah." Saki grinned. She looked at Ai. "Aren't you coming in?"

She leaned against the concrete pillar with her arms crossed. "You two go ahead. I'd rather keep my bandages dry while we don't have any replacements."

She paused. _Oh yeah._ She looked down at her hand, which was covered almost entirely with bandages. _That could be an issue._

"Here, Saki, you have some paint on your face," Junko said, reaching for her forehead. She rubbed some water on it. "Oh, it's really dried on there…"

Saki smirked. "Yeah, that's what happens when you work with paint. I always used to get paint on my-"

There was a soft _rip_.

Junko gasped. "Oops."

"What was that?"

She held out a long piece of red paint.

"Oh, you got it off!"

"Well, yes, but…" she flipped it over. The other side was green and fleshy.

Saki patted her forehead. It was much squishier and wetter than she remembered. "Oh."

"Sorry…"

"It's nothing," Saki reassured her. She took the flap of skin and put it under the water to wash it off with her fingers. Once it was all green again, she stuck it back onto her forehead. Junko straightened it back out.

"Gross," Ai remarked from the shore.

She shrugged. "Meh, it's a zombie thing. Better get used to it, I guess." She turned back to Junko. "Could you get my hand?"

Junko took her hand and stuck it under the water, rubbing it vigorously to get the paint off. Once she let go, Saki pulled it out of the water to reveal a clean hand. Unfortunately, her bandages were super loose as a result. Severe burns could be seen underneath.

"Sorry," Junko apologized again.

"Hey, don't worry about it! It's my fault I got paint on it anyway. Thanks for helping me get it off."

Junko smiled. "It's my pleasure." She looked down at her hand. "Maybe we should have gotten some bandages while we were at the store…"

Saki shrugged. "Yeah, probably. Can't be helped now."

There was the distant sound of motorcycles racing by.

The two of them sat in the water, dousing themselves. Saki laughed.

"What?" Junko asked.

"Your hair," she remarked. "It's so flat. I'm used to it being super fluffy."

"Well, this happens when it gets wet…" she brought a hand to her hair. "It's naturally fluffy when it dries."

"Really?" Saki brought her hand to her own hair. "I have to put a lot of work into my hair to make it look good."

"How does it look naturally?"

Saki put her hand to her chin. "It's really flat. I have to brush it a lot to make it as big as it is normally."

"That must be a pain."

"Oh, it totally is. Especially when you've got this much."

"I haven't had long hair in such a long time," Junko said.

She sighed. "Must be nice."

"I miss it sometimes."

She dropped her hand back in the water. "Really?"

"Who the hell is down there?" An unknown voice called out.

The girls froze. Saki rose slightly out of the water to see a teenage girl with orange-blonde hair standing in the sunshine staring down at them. _Crap!_

Junko turned to Ai. "Ai! You're disguised! Do something! Quickly!"

She nodded and walked out of the shadows. "Um, hi…"

The girl looked her up and down. "Who are you? What are you doing here?"

"Um, well, we are… travelers, just having some fun in the water."

 _Travelers? Really?_

"Travelers? What the hell?" The girl asked. She snapped and two more girls appeared from behind the bridge pillar. "You guys better get outta here."

 _Oh damn, is this another gang?_

"Why? We aren't doing anything."

She stood up on her toes and yelled in Ai's face. "Because I told you so! Now scram!"

 _Hey, don't talk to my crew like that, damn it!_

Ai took a step back, shocked. "What's your problem?!"

"What's MY problem? You need to know your place, girlie!"

Saki turned to Junko. "We need to get dressed. Now."

She nodded.

The two of them rose out of the water and ran to their bikes awkwardly due to their jeans clamping down on their legs. They each started putting on their boots quickly.

"Look, your friends are already leaving! Back down before you get hurt, bitch!"

"What gives you the right to just kick us out like this? This is public property!"

"Public property?! This is Dorami turf, bitch!"

Saki froze. _D-Dorami?_ She turned to the girls in the sun. Upon closer inspection, it was clear that they had long red coats with black interiors. _Dorami… no way_ _…_ She ran out of the darkness.

"Saki, wait!" Junko yelled.

"Did you say Dorami?!" she yelled to the girls, running out into the sun.

"Yeah, I did! What's it to you, bi-" The girl looked at Saki then froze. The two girls behind her screamed. "W-what the hell?!" she stuttered out.

She looked down at herself. _Oh yeah. Zombie._

The three humans scrambled to their bikes, which could more accurately be referred to as scooters. They quickly turned them back on and sped off.

Saki grabbed Ai and ran to their own bikes. She threw on the rest of her clothes quickly and hopped back on her bike, starting it immediately. She zipped up her jacket and revved her engine. "Come on! We can't let them get away!"

The other two nodded. Ai climbed onto her bike and started it while Junko quickly put on the rest of her clothes.

"Marshmallow, you catch up!" Saki yelled before starting her engine and flying forward. She rode back out onto the main road and began accelerating towards the fleeing girls. _Damn it!_ She leaned back, twisting the throttle with her sleeve. _Just when I thought things were looking up for us!_ She sped up quickly. Before long, she and Ai were right on the girls' tail, with Junko not far behind. Cars were flying by on both sides.

"Pull over! We just wanna talk!" Ai yelled.

The girls swerved through traffic, dodging cars and running lights.

Ai slowed to avoid crashing, but Saki didn't let up the chase. _I've gotta talk to them!_ The girls turned onto a highway and Saki followed. The highway was mostly empty, so Saki was able to pull up to be parallel with one of the girls. By now she was going 105 kilometers per hour.

"Hey, I just wanna talk to you guys!"

The girl looked at her, frightened. She was a middle schooler, with brown hair and fear in her eyes. "Go away, zombie!"

She pointed to the girl who had yelled at Ai. "Is that your boss?"

The girl was confused. "Huh?" She looked at her friend, then back at Saki. "Yes, but…"

"I need to talk to her! I promise I won't eat her brains or anything! I'm a nice zombie!"

"B-but you're a zombie! That's what zombies do!"

"Not this one! This one rides!" She pointed to herself with a smile. "The name's Saki Nikaido! I'm the first kamikaze squad leader of Dorami!" She extended her hand.

The girl gave her a weird look but shook her hand nonetheless. "Ew, slimy…"

"Sorry, I was just in the river! Do you think I could talk to your boss?"

The girl slowly turned to her boss, then back at her, then back at her boss. "Hey, Maria-chan! The zombie just wants to talk!"

"Huh?"

"She's a nice zombie! She promises to not eat our brains!"

Saki waved at her.

Maria stared blankly at her. "The zombie can ride?"

"Hell yeah I can! Saki Nikaido, at your service!"

Her eyes shot open. She immediately slammed on her brakes and flew backwards.

"Maria!" The girl with the brown hair yelled. The three of them also came to a stop and turned around to see Maria stepping off her bike slowly.

Saki stepped off and sighed in relief. _Oh, good._

The two girls walked towards one another. They stopped once they were a meter apart.

"Oh my god…" she whispered. "It really is you."

Ai and Junko pulled up behind Maria's bike.

Saki extended her hand and smiled. "Maria, right? Nice to meet ya."


	23. The Mistrust

Shinta watched as Sakura slowly read the article. He watched her eyes jump from word to word; some shocking, some not.

She looked up. "How did you find this?"

He shrugged. "I know how to use a search engine. I figured you'd like to read your obituary."

She looked back down at the paper. _This is super weird… it's about me, but I don't remember anything being said here._ Apparently, she was loved very much within her community due to her fantastic grades and record of public service. She was also dreaming of being an idol, apparently. _Old habits die hard._ She folded it back up and put it in her pocket. "Thank you," she smiled.

Shinta pulled his notepad out of his pocket. "Alright now, let's get down to business." He flipped it open. "First things first, some background about Dorami."

"Okay."

"Dorami was founded not that long ago, somewhere around 1994. It started making itself known in the late nineties but lost its massive following as soon as one of its members, Saki Nikaido, died in a tragic game of chicken with rival gang, Korosuke, and rode over a cliff. Since then, Dorami's influence has faltered greatly. Korosuke has been much more dominant since then and has, for the most part, taken its place. But Dorami still exists. It's just much, much smaller."

Sakura cocked her head. "That's interesting and all, but why are you telling me this?"

"Because that's where they went."

"H-huh?"

"When I was on the train, Saki told me to not get on the wrong side of Dorami. At first I didn't understand, but then I realized that she would only say that if she was still part of it. The three of them went to Imari to find Dorami. I'm sure of it."

Sakura put her hands to her temples. "Oh no! What do we do? What do we do?"

He smiled. "Don't worry. I have a plan."

* * *

Shinta and Sakura walked out of the alleyway several minutes later. Koutarou was still sitting there pretending to read his newspaper. They each turned their separate ways.

"Oh! One thing." He reached into his pocket and produced a silver flip phone and a charger. "For you."

"Huh?"

"We need to be able to contact each other at a moments' notice to give one another updates. This is a burner phone I bought yesterday. I already added my cell as a contact."

She flipped it open. The screen lit up with an assortment of icons on a blue background. "Huh…"

"You know how to use it, right? It's a bit of an older model. I didn't want to confuse you."

"No, I get it. Thank you!"

He nodded. "We'll talk again soon. Keep that thing charged." He turned and walked back to where he came.

Sakura started back towards the house. Koutarou was quick to catch up with her. "Oh, Koutarou-san! He gave me a cell phone."

"He took you into an alley where I couldn't see you," he said. He turned to her. "He didn't… do… anything, did he?"

She blinked. "Huh?" It took her a second to understand the question. She blushed and waved her hands in front of her face. "Oh! No no no no no! He's just concerned about privacy, that's all." _So lewd!_

He turned back forward. "That's good. He's smart."

"Y-yeah," she said softly. She looked straight ahead and thought to herself nervously. _Is what he said about Koutarou-san true?_ _Is that not his real name? Did he take the arm? No, he wouldn't have… not after he was so supportive last night._ She put her hand to her chin. _But then again, what if he's just acting supportive so that he can use me? What's he thinking?_ She turned to look at him.

He turned to her. "What did he tell you?"

"E-eh?" She jumped back. "Oh, he told me that… well…" _I can't tell him what he told me about Koutarou-san! I just have to tell him the other stuff._ "Saki-chan is probably going back to Dorami, and he has a plan to get in contact with them. He wouldn't tell me the details, though. Something about me being too nervous…"

Koutarou smiled. "He's got that right." His smile quickly faded. "Seems like he's a good investigator." He stared straight ahead.

She sighed. "Koutarou-san-"

He turned. "He told you something about me, didn't he?"

She was caught off-guard. She looked down. "Y-yes…"

He looked back forward, expressionless.

"He told me that… Koutarou Tatsumi isn't your real name."

"It's not."

"W-WHAT?!" she yelled. "It's not?!"

"I can't tell you my real name for reasons that you don't know yet."

Sakura stared at him. _Why can't he tell me his name?_ She looked back down towards the house. _Does he think he can't trust me? Is everything Shinta told me true?_

The two continued to walk silently. Once they reached the house, she stopped to take off her shoes in the genkan, but he did not. He turned into his office, leaving her alone.

Once her shoes were off, she sighed and walked up the stairs. She walked into the bedroom to find Yuugiri smoking where she had been hours before and Tae asleep in bed. She walked past both of them onto the balcony and sighed. _What if Okoba-san's right? Is there anyone I can trust?_ _What am I gonna do?_

"Haha, I'm gonna get you!" The sound of a child's laughter filled the air.

 _Lily-chan? Who is she talking to?_ She leaned over the railing to look at her on the porch below her. She couldn't really see her, so she took off her head and held it out at an angle she could see at. She gasped at the sight.

"Aww, how come even though you can't see, you always win?" Lily pouted. "Thumb wrestling is stupid." In her left hand, she was holding the arm, and in her right hand, her thumb was pinned down by Saki's thumb.

"Lily-chan!"

She looked in shock at the dismembered head being held over the railing. She said nothing. The two stared at each other for a few moments before Lily turned back into the house and ran.

Sakura did the same and was just fast enough to witness the child sprint out the front door. She ran down the stairs and watched as the girl ran with childish energy away from the house into the unknown. _Oh no._


	24. The Formal Explanation

The three humans stared at the three zombies in silence. They had gone to a nearby sushi restaurant, but the zombies had been doing most of the eating. No one had talked much at all.

"Sorry," Saki said with her mouth still full. "We haven't eaten in days."

Their eyebrows lowered silently and they all stared at each other.

Ai looked up. "It's okay. We're zombies, so we don't need to eat to survive."

"But we still get hungry," Junko noted after swallowing and wiping her mouth clean.

"Obviously," Maria said.

Saki put down her chopsticks and leaned back in her chair. "Ahh, that was good. Haven't had a meal like that since 1997!" She brought her hand to her chin. "Actually, come to think of it, I haven't had a meal since 1997."

Maria stared at her blankly. "Are you done?"

"Uh, yeah." She leaned back forward.

"Okay." She pointed to herself. "I'm Maria Amabuki, the eighth boss of Dorami." She pointed to the girls sitting on either side of her. "These are my… other members, Migikawa and Sayama."

"Hello," Migikawa waved.

Junko waved back.

"Alright, well," Saki pointed to herself. "The name's Saki Nikaido, the first Kamikaze squad leader of Dorami." She pointed to the girls on either side of her. "These are my friends, Ai and Junko."

"It's nice to finally meet you," Junko said.

"We've heard a lot of good things about Dorami," Ai remarked, still chewing her last bite.

The two girls on either side of Maria were clearly confused by this statement. Sayama tilted her head and raised an eyebrow in confusion.

"What? Is it not good?" she asked.

"Not as good as it used to be," Maria said sullenly. She looked down.

"How's membership?" Saki questioned.

She sighed. "You're looking at it."

She looked around in confusion. _Huh? Where are the others?_ She looked back at the girls before them. _Wait._ "There are only three members?!"

"Yeah."

"At least it has members," Ai remarked. "We thought you guys were gone."

"Yeah," Saki concurred. She squinted. "Don't you guys go to Drive-In Tori anymore?"

Maria stared at her blankly. "You know how far away that is? Our bikes are fucking scooters."

She rested her cheek on her fist. "Oh yeah." She put her elbows on the table.

"Don't you need two arms to ride a motorcycle?" Migikawa asked. "How did you do that on the highway?"

"Oh, this?" She held up her stump. "I tie it around the throttle. If I lean back, it pulls it."

"How'd you lose it?"

"It's a long story. Oh yeah, you probably wanna know how we're all alive, huh?"

"Well, yeah…" Migikawa said.

"We just didn't wanna be rude," Sayama assured her.

Saki held up her hand. "It's no big deal. Let me start from the beginning."

* * *

"And then we followed Saki down to the river where you guys found us," Ai concluded.

Saki had given up storytelling several minutes in. She was awful at storytelling. Though she did, however, find that she was quite good at thumb wrestling. She and Lily had been going at it since Ai had gotten to the part where they stole their bikes from Korosuke.

"Wow," Maria whispered. She was absolutely awestruck. She turned to Saki. "You really did all that?"

"What? Oh. Hold on. I gotta crush Shrimpy in thumb wrestling."

"You've gotten really good at using your arm, Saki," Junko noted.

"Thanks. I think it's 'cause someone's on the other end of it now."

"There's one thing we still don't know," Ai said with her hand to her chin.

"Shoot," Maria said.

"You recognized Saki on the highway, right?"

"Yeah."

"How? How do you know what she looks like?"

Maria's eyes shot open. She looked to the side angrily. "I don't wanna talk about it."

Saki caught a little thumb under her own. _Ha! Got you!_ She could feel it squirming. _Nope, I got you again. You have to pay the price, s_ he snickered.

Junko nudged her.

She looked up. "What?"

"Now's kind of a bad time to be laughing…"

Saki looked forward at the girl across the table, who was now glaring at her. "Oh, sorry." She pointed to her stump. "Thumb wrestling."

Everyone was staring at her now.

She put her arms back down silently. _Yup, that was the wrong thing to say.  
_

"W-well, anyway," Ai started. "We're obviously looking to join Dorami."

"Right," Maria said.

"So, what do we need to join?"

She shrugged. "I don't know. No one's joined since I became the boss. I guess you need new jackets like ours… we got them online. We can order new ones, but they'll probably be a few days."

Saki turned her attention back to her arm. It was shaking vigorously. _Wait, what?_ _Why is it shaking like that? What the hell is going on?_ She shook her head. _It's probably nothing._ She let her hand go limp and brought her attention back to the conversation.

"Your bikes are way better than ours, though, so you guys will probably be your own squad. Plus, you're zombies. We don't want that clash."

"I wish we had better bikes…" Migikawa complained.

Maria rolled her eyes. "We can buy better ones when our allowances get us there, Migikawa. For right now, we're gonna split the gang into groups of 3." She pulled out a phone. "What're you guys' phone numbers?"

"Oh," Junko said. She looked to the others. "We should probably get a mobile phone."

"Where would we get one of those? I wonder if we can sign up for a data plan…" Ai brought a hand to her chin.

"I'll get you one and you guys can just pay me back for how much it costs," Maria suggested.

"How expensive are they?"

"I don't know. I'll get the cheapest option, though, since you three are clearly below the poverty line."

"Thanks."

Junko looked at Saki. "Saki, are you okay?"

"Huh?"

"You look really confused."

She shook her head. "It's nothing. Shrimpy is just going bonkers on my arm. It's shaking in every direction. I don't know what she's doing."

"That's super weird," Maria squinted. "How can you feel that?"

She shrugged. "Who knows? Zombie stuff, man."

"Maybe she's trying to get your attention," Sayama suggested.

"Maybe. Let's see." She started flapping her hand in every direction. The bouncing quickly stopped. "Oh, she stopped!" She felt a message being traced into her arm hastily. "Huh?" Saki felt it over and over again, but didn't recognize it. "Hey guys, do you know what this means?" She traced out what Lily was tracing onto her in the air.

"One more time?" Migikawa asked.

She did it again. First the squiggle, then the circle, then the other squiggle.

"That's the English phrase SOS."

"The hell does that mean?"

"'Save our Souls'."

She stared at the girl across the table. "So, what, she needs help or something?"

"Yeah, that's what it means."

Her eyebrows quivered. _If that kid's in trouble, I've gotta do something!_ She stood up. "Then let's ride."


	25. The Rescue

Lily traced the symbols over and over again, panting with fear. She was scared, she was confused, and she was alone. Her face soaked with tears, she clung onto her last piece of hope with the strongest grip she could. It was her only way to get help, but its communication was severely hindered by the fact that she had left the paper and pen on the back porch. And here she was now, dirty, alone, hiding in the darkness of an alleyway behind a dumpster. Saki was the one thing that could help her in this moment, and in this moment she was desperate for help. "Please…" she choked. "Please, Saki-chan…"

Finally, the hand forcefully twisted into a thumbs up.

She pulled the arm into her chest and sobbed.

The arm patted her softly to comfort her.

She looked up to find a landmark that she could describe to Saki to come help. She peered across the street to see Gooday Karatsu. She quickly started writing it into the arm and sniffled.

* * *

"Gooday Karatsu!" Saki yelled to the biker gang behind her. She turned to Maria, who was riding parallel. "You know where that is?"

Maria nodded. "Follow me!" She sped up.

She leaned down and trailed the girl closely.

The roads were empty. The group had been driving in Lily's general direction and now they were crossing the river. The sun lowered in the sky in front of them behind the mountains of Karatsu. They turned right off the bridge and immediately ran a red light. _I'm coming, kid._ She looked over her shoulder to see her now sizeable gang right on her tail. She smirked. _I think you'll like what you see._

Maria turned unexpectedly into a parking lot.

Saki was caught off-guard, but followed closely. She was led through a series of back alleyways that all linked together to form a massive shortcut. _Damn, she really knows the city, huh?_ She smiled to herself. _Reiko would be so proud._

After a quick trip through the backstreets, they emerged back onto the main road. They had shaved a solid two minutes off their route. The six girls raced through the empty streets well above the speed limit. Finally, the store was in sight. _There!_ Saki sped ahead. She jumped over the curb directly into the parking lot from the street and skidded to a stop in the center of the dimly lit lot. She put down her kickstand and turned off the engine. She stepped off.

Maria quickly closed the gap, followed by Ai, Junko, Sayama, and Migikawa.

"Shrimpy!" Saki yelled. "Where are you?" She took off her glasses. "Lily!" She turned around in a circle. "Where is she?"

The sound of wet socks splatting against the ground filled the air.

She turned to see Lily sprinting across the street.

"Saki-chan!" she yelled.

"Lily!" Saki dropped her glasses and ran towards her.

She jumped up to hug her. She was sobbing uncontrollably. "Saki-chan, I was so scared…"

Saki held her tightly, supporting her weight. "Shh, everything's alright. You're with us now."

"Please don't ever make me go back to them…"

She put the child down and bent down slightly to be on the same level as her. "I promise I won't. I never will."

She dove back into a hug and buried her face in the girl's shoulder.

"The hell? I thought she was older," Maria whispered to the two zombies standing by her.

"Is that a problem?" Ai asked coldly.

"I mean, she's a kid. Can she even ride a bike?"

"We'll manage," she replied.

She lowered her eyebrows and looked back toward Saki and Lily.

Lily pulled out of the hug. She reached into her hoodie and pulled out an arm. "Here, Saki-chan."

"My arm!" she beamed. She took it, pulled back her sleeve, and stuck it back on its stump. She flexed all ten of her fingers. "It's good to be back." Saki stood up and turned towards the bikers standing behind her. "Lily, this is Dorami. Dorami, this is Lily, your seventh member."

She smiled. "Wow! You run a biker gang?!"

She leaned down. "No, not me. She does." She pointed at Maria. "You better introduce yourself to your new boss."

Lily trotted up to Maria. "Hi, miss boss! I'm Lily! I just ran away!"

"Yeah, I can see that," Maria responded.

"You guys ride motorcycles, huh?" She looked at Maria's bike, clearly grimacing. "I don't have to ride one of those ones, do I?"

She frowned.

Saki laughed. "Nah. We'll steal you a nicer one."

Lily smiled. "Good."

Maria leaned down. "I'm Maria, Dorami's boss. These are Sayama and Mi-"

There was a loud screech of tires sliding across asphalt. The girls all looked up to see a black van stopped in the street.

"Oh no," all four zombies said aloud in unison.

"What? Is that Shades?" Maria asked.

On the side of the van opposite them, the door opened, then closed softly. There was the sound of wood clacking on asphalt. A robed figure emerged from behind the van.

"Yuugirin?" Lily asked with a neutral expression.

She looked up at the child. "Hello, Lady Lily. How are you?"

She maintained her face. "I'm better now."

Yuugiri kept walking toward them.

Saki stepped between the two, putting a hand up. She gritted her teeth. "Back off."

"Oh, please. I do not intend on hurting her. I only wish to speak."

Saki looked to Junko and Ai. Ai shrugged and Junko nodded. "Alright. But keep your hands off her or I'll seriously kill you." She stepped out of the way.

Yuugiri knelt down in front of Lily. "Lily-chan, I-"

She crossed her arms and pouted. "I'm not going back! I told you last night I wanted to leave!"

"I just want to know why you left."

She hesitated. "Tatsumi… he scares me. He's mean, and loud, and he's a jerk!"

 _Shades did this…? I'm seriously gonna kill him._

"You only left because of him?" Yuugiri questioned.

Lily looked down. "No."

"They why else?"

"I don't want to be an idol. I wanna be a biker!" She looked up at Maria. "I once learned how to ride a bike for a movie!" she smiled. "This is what I want to do."

She stood up. "I can't convince you to stay. If this is what you feel that you must do, I will not stop you." She turned to Saki. "I can only hope that you keep her safe." She turned and started walking back towards the van.

Saki stared at her silently.

"Yuugirin!" Lily shouted.

She stopped.

"You can come with me! We can be bikers, together…"

She turned around and shook her head. "I can't. I wouldn't be a good biker." She looked at Saki. "Besides, my resources aren't needed here." She turned back to the van and continued walking away from the group. She made her way back around and opened the door. A distant conversation could be heard. "She doesn't want to."

"She doesn't want to?! She will, once she gets on stage! Get her back in here! Get all of them in here!"

"I cannot. And neither can you, Sakura-han."

There was a groan. "Move! I'll do it myself!"

Lily pulled on Saki's arm. "Saki-chan, that's Sakura's voice…!"

She smirked. "I know. I have a plan."

Sakura stepped out of the van and marched around the back, coming face-to-face with the bridge girls once again. She had a determined face on.

The other girls all stared as she marched up to Saki.

She started her speech as she crossed the halfway point. "Saki-chan, this has gone on long enough! It's time to come back home!"

She laughed. "You and I both know that's not gonna happen."

She marched on. "You don't know what you're doing! And dragging Lily-chan into this is irresponsible!"

"I'm not gonna make her stay when she doesn't want to! Let her do what she wants to do, damn it!"

She held up her right arm and pointed at her. "Once you all get on stage, you'll feel what I felt! You'll finally understand! You need to come back and just perform once and then you'll-"

As soon as the girl was close enough, Saki grabbed onto her wrist with an iron grip. "Get this through your egg-shaped head. I'm not coming back. None of us are."

She gritted her teeth. "Just one performance! Just-"

"Hey, watch this!" She pulled Sakura's arm up to her face and kicked her in the side.

The arm popped off at the elbow and she fell to the ground. She looked up to see Saki shaking her own disembodied arm in her face.

With a shit-eating grin, she taunted her one last time before the group's escape. "Arm for an arm, bitch. Let's ride!" She ran to her bike and jumped on, putting the arm inside her jacket. "Shrimpy, you're with me! Let's go!"

Lily hopped onto the back of Saki's bike and wrapped her arms around her. She stuck her tongue out at Sakura. "Pbbbt!"

"W-wait!" Sakura yelled. "Don't do this!"

The sound of six engines roaring to life drowned out her voice. They all kicked off, driving to the exit of the parking lot.

Thinking quickly, she jumped to her feet and sprinted to the van. She pulled the door shut and pointed through the windshield with her stump. "Follow them!" she commanded.

Koutarou slammed on the gas without a word.

* * *

 _Hahaha! I can't believe that worked!_ Saki rode through the darkness, watching the streetlights go by.

Lily had her face pressed into her back. Ai and Junko were each riding in silence but smiling with intense adrenaline. Maria, Migikawa, and Sayama were silently looking ahead, stone-faced.

"That's what Dorami is about!" Saki laughed. She turned her head backwards. "You excited, Shrimpy?"

She nodded. "Yeah!"

She smiled and turned back forward. _Now things are looking up for us._

"Maria!" Sayama yelled.

"What?" Maria turned back to see headlights.

"They're following us!"

 _Huh?_ Saki turned around and was blinded by the van's high beams. "Crap! Shrimpy, hang on!" She twisted back her throttle with her new wrist. The bike picked up even more speed.

"Saki! My bike doesn't go any faster!" Maria cried. "What do we do?"

"Let's split up!" Ai yelled.

"But you guys don't have phones!" Migikawa pointed out loudly.

"If each zombie takes a human, we can meet back up!" Junko suggested.

"Alright!" Saki turned to Maria. "Maria, you're with me!" She looked behind her. "Glasses! You're with Marshmallow! And you!" She pointed to the last girl. "You're with Bandages!"

"Do I not get a nickname?!" she asked, clearly offended.

"Alright, let's split!" Saki yelled. She heard the sharp turns each of them made and kept going forward. The light behind them didn't let up. "Damn it! They're chasing us!" She turned to Maria. "Maria! Take us down somewhere they can't follow!"

She nodded and turned right.

Saki followed closely.

"Saki-chan…!" Lily yelled from her back.

"Hold on! We're almost there!" Maria yelled. She continued straight. The end of the road was rapidly approaching. She jumped over the curb into the alleyway between two buildings and immediately turned left once out on the other side.

Saki followed and looked behind her to see the van come to a stop. _Yes!_ She turned and followed Maria.

The two bikers didn't slow down until they had crossed the bridge and were back on the other side of the river. Once there, they each slowed to a stop and stepped off their bikes next to the bridge. Each was panting like a dog with adrenaline coursing through their veins. "That was awesome!" Saki yelled.

"I can't believe I just did that…" Maria whispered to herself.

"Maria-chan, you were amazing!" Lily yelled, jumping off the bike.

She had an astonished smile on her face. "Wow…"

Saki smiled. "As expected of a leader of Dorami." She put her hand on Maria's shoulder. "Reiko would be proud." She put her hand to her chin. "Wait, no, she's probably still alive. She probably is proud."

Maria's smile dropped. She looked at her with a scowl. "Don't you dare bring up that traitor."

 _Huh?_ She stepped back in shock. "W-what? Reiko? A traitor? Wait, you know her?"

She got back on her bike. "We're gonna meet back up by the train bridge tomorrow morning. I'll text the others. Goodnight." She started her engine.

"Wait!" she yelled. "Where's Reiko? How do you know her? Is she-"

She twisted the throttle and drove off, leaving Saki and Lily alone.

Lily stared up at Saki. "Saki-chan?"

She stared at the girl speeding away. _Reiko…_


	26. The Private Lesson

Two bikes pulled up next to the pillar supporting the train line. Their engines cut off.

"Here it is," Migikawa said.

"Thank you, Migikawa-san," Junko smiled.

"What are you gonna do now? Where are you gonna sleep?"

"I'll probably sleep right here."

"Here? Really? That's terrible…" she moped.

"Yes, it's troublesome. But it's really not a big deal."

"Maybe we could get you guys a tent or something…"

Junko smiled. "That would be nice, but it's not necessary. We're fine sleeping on the ground."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes. We're fine. You should get home."

"Alright…" She started her engine. "Goodnight."

"Goodnight." Junko watched the girl turn around and drive back from where they came from. She sighed and started rolling her bike behind the bridge. She rested it against the concrete pillar and looked down into the water where she had been hours earlier. She walked over to the river and looked at her reflection in the moonlight, removing her glasses. The only thing that could be seen were the glowing red eyes of a zombie staring from the other side. She sighed.

There was the sound of a motor behind her.

She looked up to see Ai ride her bike down to where she was standing. "Ai!"

She smiled. "Hi, Junko. I figured you'd be here."

She smiled and walked alongside her to the pillar.

Ai put her bike up against it to the right and laid down.

Junko laid down beside her.

The two stared at the concrete ceiling. "A lot happened today, huh?" Ai asked.

"Yes," Junko concurred. "I was surprised Dorami is still around."

"I was too," she smiled. "I guess we were wrong."

"It's good that we were wrong."

"Yeah."

"What did you think of Maria-san?"

"Huh? Maria?"

"Yes."

Ai brought a hand to her chin. "She's a lot like how Saki was when we first met her."

Junko chuckled. "They're like twins."

"Yeah."

There was a long moment of silence.

"I wonder where she and Lily are," Junko pondered aloud.

Ai rolled over to face her. "Who knows?"

"I hope they're alright…"

"I'm sure they're fine. Saki is an amazing biker. She can get away from a van, no problem."

"I suppose so."

There was a brief pause.

"Why don't we take advantage of them being late?"

Junko looked at her. "What do you me- mmf!" Her question was cut off as Ai's lips interlocked with her own. She was shocked, but her surprise quickly melted away and she accepted her move. Her eyes closed and her breathing relaxed. A slight smile formed on her face. She reached for her hand and squeezed it with her own. The kiss lasted a couple seconds before it broke apart.

Ai opened her eyes. Junko was blushing brightly. She stifled back a laugh.

"W-what?"

"Nothing, it's just… you look really cute." She stared at her for a few more seconds. "I bet you'd be more cute without these." She took off her sunglasses and put them in her pocket. "That's better."

Junko smiled.

Ai sighed. "I wish we could have this more often…"

She put a hand to her chin. "Maybe we can…"

She raised an eyebrow. "How?"

"Migikawa-san offered to get us a tent so we wouldn't have to sleep on the ground. Maybe we can get two…"

She smiled. "You're so full of good ideas." She put her hand in Junko's hair and ruffled it up.

* * *

Saki and Lily leaned on the bridge's railing, staring into the water. "So, whatcha wanna do?" Saki asked.

"I dunno." Lily stuck her head through the railing.

She pushed it back through from the other side. "Hey, be careful. You don't want your head to fall off into the water."

The child pouted. "Fine."

The two stood in silence, watching the reflection of the stars in the water.

"Did you have fun today?" Saki asked.

"Yeah!"

"That's good." She turned to her. "Don't feel like sleeping, huh?"

"Zombies don't need to sleep!" she yelled excitedly.

"I guess not." She put her hand to her chin. _Maybe we'll be able to steal another bike once it gets dark… wait. Can she even ride a bike?_ Saki looked down at the girl. "Hey, Shrimpy."

She looked up. "Yeah?"

"You said you knew how to ride a bike, right?"

"Yeah! They had me ride one in Godzilla Junior!"

"Godzilla Junior?"

"Yeah! It's about Godzilla's daughter. It wasn't super good, but it was funny."

"Never heard of it."

She rolled her eyes. "You've been dead for twenty years."

Saki put her arms behind her head. "Heheh, yeah. Anyway, I wanna see what you can do." She pointed to her own bike. "Show me."

Lily beamed and turned to the bike. She hopped on, her legs barely reaching the ground, and kicked up the kickstand. Then she stopped.

"Well?"

"How do I turn it on?"

"Oh. You just turn the key, squeeze the left brake, flip this switch up, and press the start button." She pointed to each part as she explained.

Lily followed her instructions and the engine roared to life. "Alright!" She bounced up and down in excitement.

"Just take a ride around the corner! I wanna see what you can do!"

She nodded. She twisted the throttle gently, gradually picking up speed. She continued forward then took a gradual left turn to face her again.

Saki put her hand to her chin. _She needs work._

Once Lily reached her again, she stopped too strongly and jolted forward. "Oof." She put her leg down and caught herself as the bike started to tip over. She smiled up at Saki. "How was that?"

 _Terrible._ "That was good! But why don't we go somewhere and get some more practice?"

* * *

Junko awoke to the sound of a motor several feet from her head. She shot up and turned to see Saki and Lily, who were both staring at her. "O-oh! Hello!"

Saki cocked her head. "Uh, hi."

She looked over at Ai, who opened her eyes slowly. She had been using her arm as a pillow, and her shooting up had sent her head crashing into the ground.

"Huh?" Ai rubbed her eyes. She looked up at them. "Oh! You're here!"

"Yeah. Shrimpy and I have been hanging out. Looks like you two made it back here okay." She eyed them suspiciously. "And you fell asleep in each others' arms."

Ai and Junko blushed intensely. "W-w-well, we…" "Y-y-you don't…" They both started to stutter out excuses.

"Hey, don't worry about it." She looked to the river. "I'm glad you two have each other," she said.

They each stared at her in silent shock.

She turned to face the girls. "Anyway, we came here to see if we could borrow one of your bikes." She pointed to Lily behind her. "Shrimpy here needs practice."

"Oh, uh, sure. Take mine." Ai fished into her pocket and tossed Saki the key.

She caught it and handed it to Lily. "Which one's yours?"

Ai pointed at the bike to her right. "That one."

"Go ahead," she said to Lily.

Lily jumped over the two girls lounging on the ground and pulled the bike away from the wall.

"Remember how to start it?"

She nodded. "Yeah!" She got on, turned the key, held the brake, flipped the switch, and pressed the start button.

Saki drove around the girls on the ground. "Alright, follow me!"

The two of them drove off to the south.

Ai and Junko sat in silence. "We never got practice," Junko complained.

* * *

Lily stopped gracefully mere feet away from Saki. "How was that?"

"Remember what I told you about leaning into your turns? When you make turns at high speeds, you gotta lean into them or you'll have to brake like you did. It's okay to brake a little bit, but you wanna maintain as much speed as possible. Try it one more time."

She nodded. "Okay!" She sped off.

Saki watched as the girl drove around the parking lot again. Luckily, she had sighted this spot when the three zombies were first getting out of the river: a nice, long parking lot that just so happened to be empty at one in the morning. Normally, giving pointers to newbies would be incredibly irritating for her, but Lily was different somehow. She felt an inherent need to help her. She watched closely as she made her first high-speed turn. They had been at it for around two hours now, operating in the light of the moon. Lily had improved greatly. By ten minutes, she had learned to brake. By an hour, she was speeding along at 80 kilometers per hour. Now they were getting down turns.

"I can only hope that you keep her safe."

Yuugiri's words bounced around in her mind. _Lily really looks up to me…_ Saki looked down at her right arm. _I'm not gonna let you be neglected like that anymore._ She looked back up just in time to see her wipe out at her second turn. _Crap!_ She sprinted across the parking lot.

"Ouch…" she whimpered. She lay on her side underneath the bike.

"Are you okay?" She threw the bike off of her.

"I'm alright. Did you see the first one, though?!" She smiled up at her, twisting her head around to look up at her.

Saki smiled. "It was great! I think you put a little too much into the second one, though."

"Yeah, I realized that when I started tipping over."

She laughed. "Here." She helped her up. "Let's try that again."


	27. The Eavesdropper

Sakura stood on the back porch, leaning on the railing. She stared out into the water, thinking of how she had failed the project so terribly. _I really let them get away…?_ She dropped her head onto the railing. _What am I gonna do?_ _I got so close but when it really mattered… I… let them escape._

Tae nudged her hand.

She looked down. "Tae-chan…" She squatted down to get on her level and started petting her head. "Lily-chan ran away to be with Saki-chan…"

She cocked her head in confusion. "Grruugh?"

She sighed. _Of course she doesn't understand._ She stood back up and flipped open the flip phone Shinta gave her. No new messages. _Maybe I should tell him what happened…_ She turned, still holding the phone, and walked through the sleeping room into the hallway.

"Have you told him?" Sakura heard the muffled voice of Yuugiri coming from Koutarou's office.

"I can't," Koutarou replied.

Sakura lowered her eyebrows and put her ear to the door.

"Running from your problems will not help you."

There was a short period of silence in response.

 _What are they talking about?_

"What do you plan to do?"

"I don't know. I took a gamble with this project. I need it to work out, but I'm just doing what Sakura wants now. I have no idea how to find them or bring them back."

There was a moment of silence.

"This whole thing was a mistake," Koutarou said. She heard the sound of liquid being poured then a swift and hard swallow.

"Now, now. That's no way to think. What would Sakura say if she saw you like this?"

"I can't let her see me like this."

"Why not?"

"She isn't prepared to know the truth."

Sakura flipped the phone shut and walked back up the stairs to the girls' bedroom. She laid down in bed and stared up at the ceiling in silence. There was a lot to take in. _What do I do now?_ She held the phone out above her. _Shinta was right…_

* * *

Lily drifted to a stop and turned off her bike. "How was that?"

Saki pulled up next to her, beaming. "That was great!" she answered, actually meaning it this time. She looked up to see the sun poking out just above the treeline. "We should get back to the bridge, though."

She pouted. "Awh, but practicing is really fun!"

"The sun is rising, and you don't have a disguise," she noted. "Things could get hairy if someone saw us."

She cocked her head. "Don't we want to be scary?"

She shrugged. "Well, yeah, but Ai and Junko don't want us to openly be zombies yet. Let's just get back to the bridge." She twisted the throttle and took off, with Lily not that far behind her. She pulled out of the parking lot and sped down the street, buildings and cars flying past her, with the child keeping up with her. _Much faster than it was to get here,_ she thought. The arrived at the bridge within two minutes and braked to a stop beside the two relaxing girls beneath it. "What's up?"

Ai sat up. "Oh, you're back."

"Yeah! I'm an expert at riding now!" Lily hopped off her bike and flashed a cheeky smile.

"Is that so?" Junko rolled over and looked up.

"Yup! Also, Ai-chan! Your bike needs gas!"

"Alright," she replied. "We should go get some gas for all of them." She stood up and put her glasses on. "Where's the backpack?"

They all looked around. It was nowhere to be seen.

"Crap, we must have left it in the woods yesterday… I'll go grab it." Saki got back on her bike and started it back up.

"Hey, don't forget your glasses," Ai warned.

"Yeah, ye-" She stopped herself as she realized something crucial. "Crap."

"What?"

"I left them in the parking lot last night."

She sighed. "Here, take mine." She took her own glasses out of her pocket and handed them over to her.

She slipped them on over her face. "Alright! I'll be back in a bit!" She twisted her throttle and rode down the street back to Kagamiyama mountain. _I can't keep forgetting crap like that…_ She popped a wheelie and rode on. The ride wasn't very long, and after only a few minutes Saki arrived at the parking lot and put down her bike's kickstand. She walked into the woods where they had slept two nights before. The backpack, stained with a dark red hue from the spray paint in the air, was laying on the ground next to the cans of spray paint. She loaded the paint back into the backpack and put it on. She walked out of the woods and got back on her bike and was about to take off again when she saw motion out of the corner of her eye. She turned to see two Korosuke girls standing at the edge of the parking lot looking over the city, smoking.

"Misa's been hard on Asuka since her bike got stolen," one sighed. "You can't help but feel bad for her."

"Yeah, but I can't say I didn't see this coming. She's so stupid."

"Totally." She took another puff of her cigarette. "Do you think it was Dorami?"

Saki gasped quietly. _Huh?_

The second girl shrugged. "I don't think so. They only have, like, three members, and they're all idiots. Misa's probably just looking for a reason to fight."

"Maybe."

 _Those Korosuke girls are always itching for a fight, huh?_ She smiled. _Heh. Bring it on._ She twisted the throttle and launched down the mountain.

* * *

Sakura opened her eyes to see the morning light peeking through the windows. She sat up and looked to her right to find Yuugiri laying on the ground, smoking.

"Good morning, Sakura-han."

She said nothing back. She only stared at her blankly.

She glanced in her direction, but said nothing. She took another puff off her pipe.

She got out of bed and walked into the bathroom, where she sat down on the edge of the bathtub and pulled the phone out of her pocket. She navigated to the contacts menu and found Shinta's entry. She hesitated. _Am I really about to do this?_ The put the phone down and looked across the bathroom into the mirror. She made eye contact with herself. _I can't trust them. Okoba-san is the one I can trust._ She pressed OK and held the phone to her ear.

"..."

Nothing happened. She brought the phone back down to look at it and saw that she had to choose to either call or text him. _Oh._ She hit OK again then held it up to her ear. This time, there was a distinct ringing tone after a few seconds.

"Hello?" It was Shinta's voice.

"Okoba-san, it's Sakura. You were right."

"Oh? About what?"

"Everything."

* * *

Ai and Junko sat next to each other while Lily played with Ai's hair.

"Do you want to do anything today, Lily-chan?" Junko asked.

Lily brought a hand to her chin. "Uhhh… I dunno." She looked down at herself. She was muddy and lacked shoes. "Probably get some new clothes…"

"Well, we're all getting new outfits soon… I don't see the point in buying clothes for only a few days," Ai said. "Do you think you can deal with those ones for just a bit longer?"

She pouted. "Fine." She released her hands from Ai's hair. "All done! Look at it!"

She got up and looked in the motorcycle mirror. Lily had arranged the flowers in her hair into a crown around her head. "Wow, this looks nice," she gushed. "Thank you, Lily."

Lily smiled. "Sure! It was fun." She stretched out her legs and sighed happily. "This is so much better than that creepy mansion."

"It totally is," she concurred. "I'm glad you came along with us."

Junko looked at Lily. "It's nice to have someone else around who understands what it's like to be a zombie."

"I'm glad, too!" She laid down on the ground and exhaled softly, staring up at the ceiling.

Ai sat down next to Junko and held her hand. "Are you tired, Lily?"

She shook her head. "Nope! Zombies don't need to sleep!"

"Huh, I guess not," She said.

The three of them laid there, relaxing.

There was the distant sound of an engine getting louder and louder.

"Seems like Saki is back," Junko noted aloud.

Saki flew into the grass and skidded to a stop. There was a massive brown line in the grass where the bike's tires had torn it up. "Guys! Guys!"

The three of them sat up slowly. "What?" Lily asked.

"Korosuke is trying to pick a fight with us!" she beamed.

Ai's face shifted to one of terror. "What?!" she shouted.

She wheeled her bike back under the bridge. "This is great! Now we have a chance to snag another bike, easy!"

Lily smiled. "Really?!"

Ai and Junko looked nervously at one another.

Saki sighed. This wasn't the reaction she was hoping for. "So, uh, yeah. We'll do that later. Right now, let's go get some gas."


	28. The Mutual

"You were right about everything. I can't trust any of them."

There was a long pause. "I see."

Sakura elaborated. "Lily-chan had the arm, and she ran away. Koutarou-san and Yuugiri-san are keeping secrets. I don't know who to trust anymore."

He was silent.

"The other day, Lily and Yuugiri told Koutarou-san I was meeting you, and he wanted to help. He watched the whole thing from a distance yesterday."

"Was he the one with the newspaper?"

"Y-yes…"

"I had suspected so. He was very suspicious."

Sakura sighed. _It's no use trying to keep secrets from him…_ "Also, Koutarou Tatsumi isn't his name, but he wouldn't tell me what his real name was."

There was a long moment of silence. "And why are you trusting me with this information?" he asked.

Sakura paused. It was a good question. "Because you'll tell me the truth."

There was a pause on the other end. "Alright." There was the sound of a pen clicking. "Then let's get down to business. What's happened since yesterday?"

Sakura sighed. "Lily-chan ran away, and we all got in the van and went around looking for her. We found her in the parking lot of Gooday Karatsu with Saki-chan and the other bridge girls."

"Oh?"

"You were right about them going back to Dorami. They all had bikes, and they were with three human girls."

There was the distinct sound of a checkmark being written. "What happened next?"

"We sent out Yuugiri to bring Lily-chan back, but she didn't do anything. Then I ran out to do it myself, and…" she looked down at her stump. "It didn't end well."

"Could you explain?"

She sighed. "I walked up to her, and she stole my arm."

He laughed. "Seems like you got a taste of your own medicine."

Sakura pouted. "W-well, that's not-" she sighed again in disappointment. "Anyway, we chased them for a while, but they eventually got away."

"I see."

"And then we went home and I overheard Koutarou-san and Yuugiri-san talking about what they couldn't tell me."

"You heard the secrets they were keeping?"

"No, I just heard that they were."

"Hmm." He wrote something down. "Anything else?"

"Well, no…"

"Alright." There was the sound of keys clacking on a keyboard. "Let me tell you what we're gonna do sometime today or tomorrow."

* * *

Saki, Lily, and Ai sped down the street headed back toward the bridge. Once they were close, they each pulled off the road and rolled down the hill to the grassy riverside.

The other girls from Dorami were there, waiting for them impatiently. Junko was speaking with Migikawa and blushing slightly. Once the engines died down, Maria glared their way. "Took you long enough."

Saki shrugged and held up her hands. "Sorry, we had to go get gas."

She rolled her eyes. "Tsk! I know that, dumbass! Marshmallow here filled us in!"

Saki was taken aback by how hostile Maria was. Clearly, she had irritated her last night. "Jeez, chill out! The hell's your deal?"

She frowned and exhaled strongly. She turned to Lily. "You. Lily, was it?"

She nodded. "That's me!"

"How old are you? Dorami has an age limit, you know."

Her smile dropped. "I'm tw-"

"She's eighteen!" Saki jumped in.

Maria stared at her skeptically. "She's eighteen?"

"Yup! Born in 1999, right, Shrimpy?" She turned to her and forced a wink.

"Oh… yeah! Eighteen! I'm eighteen!" She put her hands on her hips and smiled wide.

"By that logic, you're in your forties, Saki…" Ai whispered.

Maria threw her hands up. "Whatever! Who cares, anyway?!" She turned and sulked down to the edge of the water, where she took a seat and stared into the river.

Saki stared at her. _The hell is she doing? What kind of leader acts like that?_

Migikawa and Sayama looked at one another. They sighed and continued to just stand around.

"Aren't you gonna talk to her?" Ai asked.

Sayama looked up. "Why would we do that?"

"To make her feel better?"

She motioned with her hands for them to relax. "She'll feel better if we just leave her alone."

"Don't you talk to her when she gets mad?"

"It's no use."

Saki groaned. "Screw it, I'll just do it myself." She walked down to where Maria was sitting. "Hey. You alright?"

"Go away."

She sat down next to her. "You know, a leader has to be on the same wavelength as her teammates in order to get anything done. Just talk to me."

Maria crossed her arms and spit into the water.

She sighed. "Come on. They're your team. They deserve to know what's on your mind."

Maria turned to her. "Shut up. I'm sick of you calling the shots."

Her eyebrows shot up. "Huh?"

"You're not the damn boss. I'm the boss."

Saki stared into her eyes. _She has the same eyes as Reiko,_ she thought. Her eyes shot open. _Wait, hold on a second!_ "Is-"

"Just shut up!" She stared back into the water.

She looked out into the water with her and paused for a second before continuing. "You know, back when Reiko was the leader of-"

"Shut up about her!" she exploded. "You don't know anything about her anymore! She's entirely different! She's a coward! Nothing is like how it was back when you were around anymore! Just shut up!" She looked back down into the water. "She's an entirely different person."

 _An entirely different person?_ She slowly turned to her, thinking about the Reiko she knew. "How?"

"I don't know, dumbass! It's not like she'd tell me! I only know what I know because I went through her stuff!"

"Do you know where she is?"

"Tsk! Of course I do. But there's no way-"

She grabbed her by the shoulder and spun her her way. "Please. Take me to her."

She swatted her hand away. "Get your hands off of me, you dirty-"

"Take me to her!" she shouted, clear pain in her voice.

With this second plea, her eyes widened and she glanced over at the rest of the group quickly, where she saw Ai angrily motioning for her to say yes. She looked back to the zombie before her, took a deep breath, and scowled. "Fine."


	29. The Old Friend

Saki followed Maria across the river and through the suburbs to a sizeable home near the base of Mount Takao. It was elevated, with a garage on the ground floor covered by a large patio. Stairs led from the patio down to the street and there were various shrubs and plants placed thoughtfully throughout the patio balcony.

Maria got off her bike, slipped her hands into her pockets, and started up the stairs. She seemed to be sulking. "Come on. Let's get this over with."

Saki jumped off of her own bike and sprinted for the stairs. Her knees were weak, but her determination to see Reiko was strong. _Reiko… I'm almost there…!_ She scrambled up the stairs and turned toward the door.

She struggled to keep up and soon picked up the pace. "Hey! Hold on!"

She waited by the front door impatiently as it was the one barrier keeping her from seeing her beloved Reiko again. Each step that Maria took felt like it took hours. _Come on, come on, come on!_ She bounced between her toes as the girl took her sweet time getting to the door.

Finally, Maria produced a key from her pocket and unlocked the door. She pushed it open and walked in without even acknowledging the girl behind her.

Saki took one step, then another. A wide smile spread across her face. _I'm finally here…_ She stepped up into the hallway before being grabbed by the scruff of the neck and pulled back, snapping her out of her funk. "Huh?"

"Take off your shoes, idiot!" Maria had already removed her shoes.

"Oh." She bent down and pulled her boots off quickly, not even bothering to untie them.

The house was well-furnished, with plenty of plants and paintings decorating the hallway. To the right were a set of stairs and there were doors to the left and at the end of the hall.

Maria walked calmly up into the hallway and passed straight through the door to the left.

"Maria? You're home early…"

Saki was in the middle of making her way there, but when she heard that voice, she stopped dead in her tracks. _That's…_ A wide grin spread across her face and she eagerly rushed forward to push the door open. What she saw, though, made her jaw just about drop to the floor.

Before her stood a middle-aged purple-haired woman in a pink sweater and gray sweatpants wearing yellow slippers. She had on a magenta apron. She appeared to have been in the middle of sweeping, as she held a broom in both hands. As she turned her head to look at Saki, an emotion of shock spread across her face.

"R-Reiko?" she sputtered out in complete disbelief.

After a second of staring, her head snapped back to Maria and her face turned to pure anger. "Maria, what is this?" She pointed at Saki.

She blinked in confusion. _Huh?_

"This is Saki. She's a zombie." Maria put her hands into her pockets. "She wanted to talk to you."

She turned back to Saki. "I can't believe you would drag her into this! Get out!"

"Huh?" she repeated, this time vocally.

Maria turned to leave.

"Not you, Maria!" She pointed at the zombie angrily. "You! Get out!"

"Reiko, I-"

"Get out of here now!" Her yell threw out her voice. Tears started to well up in her eyes. "Just leave! Leave me and my family alone!"

She slowly stepped back into the hall and closed the door. She stared at it for a long minute, trying and failing to understand what happened.

"Maria, why did you bring her here?" the muffled voice of Reiko bled through the door.

"I already told you! She wanted to talk to you!"

"You don't know who that is!"

"That's Saki Nikaido, the leader of the Kamikaze Squad! The one who died in the 90's!"

There was a gasp. "How do you know that?"

"She told me."

There was a long pause before the mother spoke again, this time more weakly than before. "Get her out of here, Maria, please."

"Tsk!" The door opened in front of her and out stepped Maria. "Come on. Let's go." She grabbed Saki by the arm and walked back to the genkan, where she sat and started putting on her shoes.

"Wait, Maria… what-"

"Shut up. Let's go."

She stared at her for a few seconds then sat down and started putting on her boots. Once she was done, she followed Maria out the door, looking behind her as it closed, simultaneously closing the door on her chances of reuniting with her long-lost friend.

* * *

Saki and Maria sat on the stairs in silence, staring down at the bottom. They had walked straight out of the house and sat down immediately. They had been there for around half an hour. Saki noticed Reiko staring from the corner of her eye after about a minute, but didn't have the courage to look up at her. She just let her eyes burn into her. _I guess I should say something…_ She turned to Maria. "So… Reiko's your mom?"

"Yeah."

She looked back down. "I guess I could have seen that coming," she sighed. "But why the hell did she react like that to seeing me?"

"I don't know."

"'Leave me and my family alone'? The hell does that even mean?"

She shook her head. "I don't know, damn it." She stood up, putting her hands back in her pockets and taking up her typical scowl. "This was a waste of time. Let's go." She started trudging back down the stairs.

She watched her for a second then finally brought herself to glance over at Reiko staring at her through the window.

The woman in the window quickly turned and walked out of sight.

 _Reiko…_ She stared in despair for a few more seconds before finally sighing and standing up. As stubborn as she was, she knew when to quit. "Alright." She sulked down the stairs and slowly took a seat on her bike's cushion. "I guess maybe-"

"Wait!"

Saki looked up to see Reiko staring at her from the balcony. She blinked. "Reiko? What-"

"When's your birthday?"

"Uh… May 15…"

"What model bike did we have?"

"Uh… they were custom-built from parts we found in the junkyard…"

"What… what kind of Tamagotchi did you have?"

"I… I always got Oyajitchi, but the one I had last week was a Maskutchi." She cocked her head. "Why?"

Reiko walked down the stairs and looked at her. She eyed her up and down.

"What are you…"

She put her hand to her mouth. Tears were in her eyes. "Is it really you?"

 _She recognizes me?_ Immediately, the despair that had been haunting Saki vanished and she beamed. "Yeah! Yeah, it is!"

"Saki…" Reiko held out her hand and touched her friend's face.

She put on a wide grin and pulled her into a hug. "What the hell took you so long?!"

"You aren't exactly recognizable," she chuckled, tears streaming down her face.

"I could say the same for you! The Reiko I know would NEVER wear an apron!"

"That was twenty-one years ago!" she laughed. "A lot can change in twenty-one years!"

Maria's eyes shot between the two reuniting best friends silently. She seemed almost uncomfortable.

Saki puled out of the hug and rested a hand on her shoulder. "You're so damn tall! What the hell?! What happened to you?!"

"I could ask the same to you! Look at you! You're back from the dead!" She stared at her happily for a second then reached up to wipe the tears off her face. "This has to be a dream."

"It's not!" she cheered back, wrapping an arm around her shoulders. "C'mon, let's go inside! We got some catching up to do!"

* * *

Reiko poured tea into Saki's cup, then Maria's cup, then her own. She returned the tea to the stove then sat down at the table across from them. They each stared at each other in silence for a second before Reiko started by wiping more tears from her face. "So, Saki… why don't you tell me how you're alive right now?"

She shrugged smugly. "Eh, well, it's kind of a long story."

"I want all the details."

Maria groaned and rested her head on her fist.

"Please don't put your elbows on the table, Maria…"

"Shut up!" she snapped back.

Saki turned to the girl next to her with a scowl. "Hey! Don't you talk to her like that!"

She glared back at her. "Mind your own business! I can talk to her however the hell I want!"

"She's my best friend, and there is no way in hell I'm gonna let you talk to her like that!"

Her face turned into a disgusted frown. "Ugh." She rested her head on her fist just as she had before, but with her elbow resting on her knee instead.

Saki turned back to Reiko. "Anyways. After I died, which you already know the details about, I woke up on the floor of some mansion, and there were a bunch of other girls screaming or whatever. Turns out that we had been resurrected by some dude in sunglasses to form a zombie idol group."

Reiko squinted in visible confusion. "A zombie idol group?"

"I know, right?!" she laughed. "Anyway, I didn't want anything to do with that, so obviously I was gonna leave."

She smiled. "Of course."

"But then, these other two chicks were also trying to leave, but this one bitch named Sakura kept begging them to stay. She even followed them into town as they were leaving and got them chased by some dudes and a cop. Good thing I followed them and took them all out, or else they probably woulda been shot."

"Oh my…"

"Yeah, so, later that night, I asked one of them to leave with me. I call her Bandages. I call her that because she's just absolutely covered in bandages. Like, head to toe. It's crazy. Anyways, she said she needed to think about it, so I left, but I found out Marshmallow, the one with white hair, was listening in on us. I basically told her to buzz off."

"You didn't like Marshmallow?" She took a sip of her tea.

"Well, sure, she tried to run away, but Bandages had really been showing some serious guts since we woke up, and she hadn't. So I didn't bother with her."

She chuckled. "You and your guts."

"Yeah, so the next day, Bandages came up to me and said that she'd join me, but only if Marshmallow could come, too. And it turns out that Marshmallow had some pretty massive guts. She ended up slapping me."

"Oh, I bet you didn't take that well."

"Actually, it was kinda smart. I asked her what authority she had stood up to, and then her slapping me was kinda like her saying I was authority to her. It was super cool, actually. Anyway, we used a computer, which was awesome-"

She laughed.

She couldn't help but laugh as well. "What? It was so cool! Do you know what Wikipedia is?"

She nodded, still laughing. "Of course I do."

She smiled fondly. _I missed this._ She let out a happy sigh and sat back in her chair. "It's good to have you back, Reiko."

After a second, her laughter slowly faded into a cold stare. "Good to have me back? You hardly lost me."

Her smile slowly fell and she looked at her questioningly. "Huh?"

"How long has it been since you woke up?"

She shrugged. "About a week."

A frown spread across her face as she processed their relative timescales. "You lost me for a week, but I lost you for twenty years!"

She was shaken by her sudden change in attitude. "The hell? Are you okay?!"

"Am I okay?!" She stood up from where she was standing and glared down at her. "Do you have any idea how long it took for me to get over what happened that night?!"

Saki's throat dried up. _What? What is she-_

"How could you be so selfish?! You left me behind!" Tears were already forming in her eyes.

"B-but-"

"No buts!" She threw a fist down on the table, causing a _slam_. "How could you, Saki?!"

Maria awkwardly stared at the conflict unfolding in front of her. She slowly got out of her chair and slid out the door.

"You were my best friend! And you left me! You left all of us! Just so that you could… show off!"

Saki stared at her now enraged friend in confusion and terror. _W-what?!_ _N-no, it's not like that!_ She thought the words, but she failed to express any of them. She just stared at Reiko with her mouth agape. Finally, she stood up and bolted out of the room. She ran past Maria and straight out the door, leaving her boots behind.

"Fine! Just leave! Just like last time!" The pained voice of her friend echoed down the hall as she escaped.

She sprinted down the stairs, jumped on her bike, and drove off without as much as a word.


	30. The Bike Theft

Maria followed Saki through the streets, weaving in and around cars. She was hot on her tail, only a few meters behind, following closely. The two rode back across the river and towards the train line.

Finally, when the structure was in sight, Saki skidded to a stop mere feet away from the other girls, who were all sitting in a circle. She stepped off her bike. "Alright, everyone! Now, as I'm sure you're all aware, Korosuke is trying to pick a fight with Dorami. But! I have a plan!"

Maria got off her scooter. "Saki, what the hell was that?! You just ran?!"

She turned around. "I don't need her. Let's forget about all that, okay?"

"The hell are you talking about?! You begged me to take you to her! Now you're just gonna leave because she yelled at you?!" Maria spit on the ground. "You coward. I thought I could look up to you."

The girls on the ground nervously looked among one another.

Saki started walking towards Maria. In an instant, her entire demeanor changed. "Don't pick fights you're not ready for."

She took a step back and swallowed. "I'm not picking a fight, I'm just-"

"Shut up!" She yelled. She grabbed her by her tie and pulled her in close, whispering just loud enough to be menacing. "I've been dealing with shit from you because you're the boss. Now, I'm done with that. You're a terrible leader. No wonder Dorami has gone to shit." She released her. "You're not tough. You just have issues." She turned and started walking back to the girls in the circle, leaving a stunned Maria to stare at her back.

"Saki…" Junko whispered.

"Anyone else wanna get any quips in?" She eyed the circle angrily. No one moved. "Good." She relaxed. "Now, here's our plan for Korosuke. We're gonna kill two birds with one stone."

* * *

Maria, Sayama, and Migikawa sat near the train bridge, staring out into the water. Their bikes sat behind them.

"Man, that Saki-chan sure is scary…" Sayama said.

"Way scarier than she was this morning," Migikawa concurred.

Maria said nothing. She just stared.

"Maria?" Sayama turned to face the boss. "What's wrong?"

She just shook her head.

There was a chorus of horns. The three girls looked to the left to see an army of black motorcycles emerge from under the bridge. The three got up and walked to the bottom of the hill, where they were quickly surrounded by Korosuke members. In front of them stood a silver-haired woman with a massive collar. Maria's friends stood behind her, terrified.

"T-the tenth boss of Korosuke… M-Misa the Fallen Angel…" Migikawa whispered.

"It's been a while, Maria. How are you?"

Her eyebrows lowered. "I'm fine. What's the deal with all this?" She looked around at the other members of Korosuke.

"Recently, we've had some bikes go missing…" she gestured to three girls climbing off the back of other bikes. "Three, to be exact."

She looked up at her. "Y-you think we took them?" she asked defensively.

She eyed her suspiciously. "You seem nervous, Maria." She took out her whip. "Why don't you tell us where you hid them?"

She swallowed. "We didn't take them, dumbass. I don't know where the hell your bikes went."

Her whip cracked against the ground. Sayama and Migikawa cowered in fear. "Come on, Maria. You don't want things to come to this, do you?"

All the members of Korosuke took out their weapons, save for four of them, who stood empty-handed. The roar of chainsaws and the clanking of metal chains filled the air.

Maria took a step back into the girls behind her. "I'm telling you, we don't know where the hell your bikes are!"

The circle started to close in on them. With each step, the three Dorami girls held one another tighter and tighter.

"Hey, Misa the Fallen Asshole!"

They all turned to find a blonde girl with orange and green highlights on Misa's bike. She wore a black t-shirt and red jeans. There was a collective gasp as they realized her skin was undoubtedly green, and she had stitches and bandages all over. Her sunken eyes stared back at them with intense smugness.

"Thanks for the bikes, dumbasses!" She rode Misa's bike onto the main road and sped away.

"What the hell?" "Did you see her?" "She was green!" "Was that… a zombie?" A collective murmur rose from the members of Korosuke.

Misa snapped back to reality. "The hell are you idiots doing?! Chase her!"

The members of Korosuke scrambled to their bikes. Misa climbed onto the back of another girl's ride. Dorami watched as they all sped back onto the road and started chasing Saki.

There was a sigh of relief. "That was super close," Sayama complained.

"I can't believe she took Misa's bike… she was supposed to take one of the main ones," Migikawa said in awe.

Maria simply stared silently at the black mass traveling towards the horizon.

* * *

Saki looked behind her and counted the bikes. _One, two, three, four…_ she shook her head. _Who cares. I just gotta shake 'em._ She led them north toward the bridge crossing the mouth of the Matsuura River. She watched the buildings fly by and felt the wind in her hair and yelled in excitement, running red light after red light.

"Don't let her get away! I don't care if she's a zombie or not!"

The distant sound of Misa screaming in anger was music to Saki's ears. _Reminds me of old birdhead._ _I should think of a nickname for this one, too…_ she put her hand to her chin, still expertly weaving through traffic. _Well, she does have a massive collar… maybe I should call her a sick dog or something…_ she looked back down to see that she was already across the bridge. She looked around for a way to lose them and spotted a footpath crossing back over the water at the end of a parking lot near the bridge. _Perfect!_ She turned into the parking lot, before noticing it was one with tolls. _Shit!_ She started a sharp left turn so that she could just lean under the bar and looked behind her to see around twelve bikes turn into the parking lot after her. The one with Misa on it was already gone. _Aww._ She slid perfectly under the bar and kept riding.

"God dammit!" A voice yelled. There was a loud creak as the bar was forced upwards.

Saki's left turn had forced her to sacrifice a few seconds, as the bridge was to the right of the parking lot's entrance. She did a quick turn and sped towards it. A few members of Korosuke tried to cut her off, but she threaded the needle through them and popped a wheelie so she could get up the stairs. She went flying onto the bridge.

"The hell?! Is she insane?!"

She wove around a few people who were crossing the bridge and emerged on the other side with only one bike on her tail. There was a railing at the other end, so she just burst through it and fell the height of a single story onto the road below. She looked behind her just in time to see her pursuer drive through the hole in the railing she made. _Damn it, Korosuke!_ She sped down the street. _I have to do something extreme to get them off me,_ she thought to herself. Out the corner of her eye, she spotted a parking garage. _Perfect!_ She turned into the parking lot and once again slid under the toll bar.

"Damn it!" There was a snap this time as the bar was broken in half by the girl.

She sped around the parking garage, traveling up one ramp after another until she had reached the top. Finally, she turned towards the edge and sped up. Saki leaned back and prepared herself for what she was about to do. She never would have done this if she were alive, but now that she was a zombie, so she could risk it.

"What the fuck is she doing?!"

She popped a wheelie, exposing the bottom of the bike. _I hope this works…_ She clenched her eyes shut as she sped towards the edge of the structure, which was marked with a waist-high concrete barrier. Finally, she made contact, and she and the bike went flying through the air, doing flip after flip. They landed upside-down on the gravel roof of the building next door. The bike rolled off of her, its engine still running. Saki was in tremendous pain, but the adrenaline rushing through her made her almost numb to it. "Damn, that hurt…" She stood up and dusted herself off. She looked up at the orange-haired girl, who was staring at her from the edge with her mouth agape. Saki simply picked up the bike and rode across the roof, then another, then landed back on the street and sped off.


	31. The Longing

Saki rolled past the pawn shop and turned left into a large field. She stopped her bike and got off, pushing it into the woods. "I'm back~!" she sang happily. Three zombies emerged from the woods.

"Wow! Is this one mine?" Lily bounced up and down in excitement while looking at the bike, which was clearly nicer than the others.

She looked down at it and rubbed it proudly. "I think I'll keep this one for myself. You can have my old one, though."

She pouted. "Lame."

"Why does it look different from ours?" Junko asked.

She smiled wide. "Because it's Misa's!"

"You stole Misa's bike?!" Ai yelled in shock. "You were supposed to take one of the regular ones!"

She put her hands on the sides of her face and gave a guilty smile. "I was gonna, but then I noticed the key was still in this one, and how could I resist?"

She sighed. "Whatever. It's clearly a high-priority bike, so we should paint it immediately."

She nodded. "Hand me the primer, would you?"

Lily moaned. "How long is this gonna take? I wanna get some new clothes…"

Ai handed Saki the primer then turned to Lily. "Why bother? Sayama said our coats aren't arriving until Friday, and today's Wednesday."

She looked down at herself. She was covered from head to toe with mud, grass, and leaves. Her hair was a matted mess. Her heart, which was beating out of her chest, was also covered in mud. She also lacked shoes. "Can I at least get a towel?"

"Let's go down to the river and get you washed off," Junko suggested.

"You two go. I gotta paint this bike." Saki laid the birthday cards over the parts of the bike she didn't want to paint and started spraying. "I'll just wash off once I'm done. Won't do any good for me to do it beforehand."

"Alright." She turned to Lily. "Let's go, Lily-chan. We can use the bridge just around the corner." She climbed onto her bike.

Lily nodded and hopped on her bike. She and Junko sped off, leaving Ai and Saki alone.

Saki noticed the Korosuke sticker on the front. "Ooh, better take that off." She peeled off the sticker. "They made themselves stickers? That's pretty lame." She laughed to herself.

Ai sighed and sat down under a tree. She stared at Saki. "What did you say to Maria earlier?"

She looked up. "Huh?"

"What did you say to her?"

"It doesn't matter." She looked back down and continued spraying the primer on the bike.

"Yes it does! She hasn't said anything since you yanked her by her tie!"

"Not true. She talked to Misa before I stole her bike."

Ai squinted. "It has to do with Reiko, doesn't it?"

Saki hesitated. "It doesn't matter." She kept on spraying.

"What's with you? You've been totally different since you went to talk to her this morning. Just tell me."

She sighed. "She yelled at me for dying. You think she'd be over it by now."

"Oh."

"Yeah. You think she'd be happy to see me, but when I first walked in, she flipped out."

"Well, we're zombies. That's not surprising."

"No, it wasn't because I was a zombie. She wasn't scared or anything, just mad."

"Sounds like she has some pent-up anger against you."

"Yeah."

There was a long moment of silence.

"Maybe you should go back to talk to her again later, when she's calmed down…"

"She's had twenty-one years to calm down. She's not gonna." She moved the cards to a different part of the bike. "I don't wanna talk about it anymore."

Ai looked away.

 _Damn it,_ Saki thought. _Maria was right about Reiko._

* * *

Sakura sat on the ground near the wall, her knees pulled into her chest. She stared at the phone impatiently as it charged next to her. _When is he going to call? He said he would sometime later…_ She sighed. _What am I gonna do?_

There was a slam at the door.

She jumped to her feet. "W-who's there?!" She yelled in shock. She slowly inched towards the door before she finally opened it a tiny bit to see Tae slouched over in front of it. "Oh, Tae-chan, it's just you…" She opened the door.

She walked in and looked around absentmindedly. She turned to face Sakura again.

"What is it, Tae-chan?"

She approached her and put her hands on her shoulders. "Grrh, grauuugh…"

"Tae-chan?" _Is she trying to say something?_

"Grough." She walked around to her back and started chewing on her head.

"Ah." She sat back down, bringing the limp zombie with her. She felt the zombie's teeth softly push on her scalp. She picked up the phone and opened it. 77% battery. _Good enough._ She stood up and walked through the door, down the stairs, and out the front door with Tae still munching on her head. She walked across the street to the playground and sat in the chair wheel.

Tae released her head and took a seat behind her, gripping the bar and pushing. The chairs began to spin.

"What am I gonna do, Tae-chan?" Sakura asked, not expecting a reply. "Koutarou and Yuugiri won't tell me what they're hiding, and I can't do anything without Okoba-san around…" She looked down. "I'm beginning to think that I'll never get them back…"

Just then, the phone started ringing.

"O-oh!" She scrambled to pull it out of her pocket. She reached into her pocket and pulled it out, but it was ripped from her hand due to the centripetal force provided by the chair circle. "Tae-chan! Stop that!" She grabbed the bar and stopped the chairs immediately, sending Tae flying into the air. She hopped off and picked up the phone. "Hello?"

"Hey. It's Shinta. Are you in the mansion?"

She looked back up at the mansion. "Well, I'm not inside it, if that's what you're asking…"

"Are you at the park across the street?"

"Huh? How do you know that?"

"So you are at the park?"

"W-well, yes, but-"

"Alright, that's all. Thanks. I'll talk to you lat-"

"Wait!" Sakura shouted.

"What?"

"Isn't there something I can do?"

There was a moment of silence. "What do you mean?"

"It's just…" She sighed. "It feels like I'm not doing anything to find them… and I want to do more! Just give me something to do!"

"You're already doing everything you can from there. Trust me, I've got-"

"Tell me what your plan is! You're doing something, aren't you?! I want to know!"

Tae picked herself up off the ground and looked up at Sakura in confusion.

"You don't need to know. I'll let you know once I get to the part where you're necessary for this to work."

"You're gonna hide the truth from me like Koutarou-san?!"

There was a pause on the other end. "Yes."

She sighed. _Why does no one trust me?_ "Just promise me it won't be too long."

"It shouldn't be more than two or three days."

"Two or three days?!" Sakura moaned. "What is it that's going to take so long?"

"Well, let's just say I'm trying to get a hold of someone who's very elusive."

"Someone elusive…?"

"That's all I can tell you for right now. I'll get back to you soon."

"…Alright."

"Bye."

"Bye." She closed the phone and sat down on the edge of the slide and took a deep breath. "Someone elusive…?"

Tae walked up to her and sat down on the ground next to her. "Grrrh?"

Sakura looked down at her and started patting her head. "At least I can trust you, Tae-chan…"


	32. The Boss

Saki looked up to see Maria, Sayama, and Migikawa pull into the park.

"Saki! Junko! Ai-chan!" Sayama yelled.

"Over here!" Saki emerged from the woods and signaled with her arms.

The three girls quickly made their way over to the four girls in the forest. Saki returned to the bike and continued to spray on the first layer of paint.

"Where have you guys been? I thought we were supposed to reconvene here immediately," Ai said.

"We had to pick up a few things first…" Migikawa reached into her pocket and produced a flip phone. "Here."

She took the phone and flipped it open. "Oh, cool, thanks! How much do we owe you?"

She shrugged. "It wasn't that much… consider it a gift." She reached into her scooter's storage compartment and produced a tent. "Here, Junko. Sorry there's only one, but my family doesn't go camping super often…"

Junko took the tent. "Oh…! Thank you anyways. I appreciate it." She smiled.

Sayama looked at Saki and sighed. "I can't believe you took Misa's bike…"

Saki looked up. "I mean, I wasn't going to, but then I noticed she left the keys in. How could I resist?!"

"I'm just worried that this might bring us some… unwanted attention…"

She smiled. "If those Korosuke bitches wanna pick a fight, I'll fight them!"

"Last time you fought them, you died…" Lily pointed out quietly.

Saki turned to her. "Hey, it's different now! I'm a zombie! I can take them!"

"Sure…" she looked to the side.

She went back to spraying. _Although, they did chase me even though it was pretty obvious I was a zombie. Maybe they're not afraid of me…_ she shook her head. _I could still take them. Korosuke bitches are basic idiots._

"Um, Saki…"

Saki looked up. Maria was standing across from her. "What?"

"About what happened before…"

"What? You're mumbling."

"About what happened before… I'm sorry."

 _She's apologizing?_ She squinted. "Sorry for what?"

"Sorry for… how I acted. I shouldn't have been such an asshole."

 _Huh?_

"Watching you steal that bike made me realize… that you know what you're doing a lot more than I do. I should have trusted your judgement."

 _Damn right._

"I was thinking that… maybe you should be the boss of Dorami instead."

Migikawa and Sayama gasped.

Saki's eyes shot open. _Me? The boss? Is she serious?_

"You seem to have a much better idea of what a boss should do… and I think that it would be best for Dorami if it had a better boss." She looked down.

 _She is serious…_ She stood up and stared down at her. _She has a point… Dorami does need a better boss… but I don't want that responsibility! I gotta say something to her!_

"So, um, do you think you-"

"Shut up."

Maria looked up. "Huh?"

"You're right. Dorami needs a better boss. But that doesn't mean it should be me."

Maria stared up at her in silence.

"You could be a great boss. All you need is a little practice, a little time, and a way better bike. Dorami needs a good leader." She leaned forward and put her hands on Maria's shoulders. "And you will be it."

She looked down. "No. I won't…"

"Hey! Look at me when I'm talking to you!"

Her eyes shot back up.

Saki pointed at her. "You're gonna be a good boss. I'm gonna make you a good boss."

Maria stood, awestruck.

She released her and squatted back down to continue painting. _Phew! I think that worked…_

She stared at her for another minute before sitting back down on her bike.

* * *

Saki wiped her brow, again smearing red paint all over her forehead. "Alright! One coat done!" She stood back up and shook out her legs. They were sore from squatting.

"What now?" Migikawa asked.

"Now we sit back and wait a few hours for the paint to dry."

"Maybe we should do something while we're waiting," Ai suggested. "We have a lot of business to sort out."

"Actually, yeah. We should." She turned to Maria. "Hey Maria, you should call a meet."

She looked up. "Huh? What's that?"

"It's like, where we all just talk about what needs to be done with Dorami. You tell people news updates, people suggest ideas, people vote on those ideas, it's like… a meeting."

"Then just call it a meeting…" Lily muttered to herself.

Saki gave her a dirty look, then turned back to Maria. "You get the idea, right?"

She nodded. "I think so." She stood up and cleared her throat. "Alright, guys! Listen up! It's time for a meet!"

All eyes were quickly on her.

"So, um, we need to figure some stuff out. Um, I don't think there's any news that you guys already don't know, so let's move on to the voting and stuff. Do any of you have any ideas?"

Ai raised her hand.

"What, Bandages?"

She put her hand down. "I think we should change uniforms."

"Huh?" Maria frowned. "What's wrong with our uniforms?"

"It looks like you just put that coat over your school uniform," she pointed out. "It doesn't look very biker-like."

She looked down at herself. "Really…?"

"I mean, the coat is fine, but the rest of the outfit just looks like a school uniform."

"I kind of agree with her…" Sayama laughed nervously. "I just didn't wanna say it…"

"Alright, who thinks we should change the outfit?" Saki asked. "Raise your hands."

Every hand, except for Lily's and Maria's, went into the air.

"Lily-chan? You don't want to change it?" Junko asked.

"It's cute!" Lily pouted. "But I guess we're changing it."

Maria sighed. "Okay then… I guess we'll change the uniform. Any ideas on what it should be?"

Saki put her hands behind her head. "Back when I was in Dorami, it was just a sports bra, red pants, and boots. Plus the coat."

"I don't think that's appropriate with the age range we have here…" Ai pointed out, motioning to Lily and the humans, who were all fairly young.

She put her hand to her chin. "Huh, I guess not…"

"Why don't we just swap out the top with a t-shirt?"

She shrugged. "I guess that works. We should also get some gloves. Fingerless gloves."

"Alright, does anyone oppose?" Maria asked. There was no response. "Then, I guess, that's our outfit now." She looked down at herself. "Damn it… now I gotta go buy shit…"

"We all do. We should go together," Ai suggested. "Probably sometime tomorrow."

She looked up at her. "Um, alright. Does anyone else have any ideas?" There was no response. "Alright! No more voting! Then…" She turned to Saki. "Are we done?"

"You should ask if anyone has any questions."

"Oh!" She turned back to the group. "Any questions?"

"Um, I have a question…" Junko raised her hand.

"Yeah? What is it, Marshmallow?" Maria asked.

"How does Dorami make money?"

Maria squinted. "Huh?" She turned to Saki. "Are we supposed to make money?"

She stared in disbelief. "You haven't been making money?"

"No…"

She sighed. "We're supposed to control territory and take bribes for people to use that territory. People will also hire us to settle whatever bullshit they have going on."

"Huh…" Maria said. She turned back to Junko. "Well, there's your answer."

"But," she continued, "if you haven't been doing that, then we can't really make money until we're more commonly known. We need to invest in ourselves." She turned to Ai. "How much money do we have?"

"We used up the rest of it getting gas this morning."

She turned to the humans. "What about you?"

"Um, not very much… we've been saving to buy some better bikes…" Migikawa said.

She put her hand to her chin. "Crap. We need to get some money, then."

"How do we do that?" Maria asked.

She put on an evil grin. "We steal it."

"I thought you said we wouldn't have to steal anymore," Ai frowned.

She shrugged. "I thought we wouldn't. But unless we can mooch some money off someone we know, then that isn't gonna work."

"We're already doing what we can," Maria said. "We won't be able to get any more money."

She put her hand to her chin. _Anyone I know is probably out of the question…_ She looked at Ai. "You think you could mooch off Iron Frill?"

She shook her head. "It's unlikely."

She turned to Junko. "You have anyone- actually, no, I don't know why I asked. They're probably dead."

She looked down silently.

She turned to Lily. "What about you, Shrimpy?"

She looked down. "I don't wanna see him," she whispered.

"Huh?"

"I don't wanna see him," she repeated.

She walked over to her. "Lily, we need money. If you have someone who can help us, then we need to take advantage of that."

"I don't wanna!"

"Listen, Lily. It's for the good of Dorami that we see whoever it is you're talking about. If you want to be a biker, then you need to help us get some cash."

She looked down. After a moment, she whispered quietly to her. "It's my pappy."


	33. The One Who Killed Her

Saki stopped the bike in the driveway of the house. "This the place?"

Lily nodded softly into her back. "Uh-huh."

"Alright." She got off the bike and started walking towards the front door. She turned around to see that Lily hadn't moved. "Shrimpy? You coming?"

She sat on the seat, trembling. "I'm afraid…"

She walked over and put her hand on the child's shoulder. "Hey. I'll be right next to you the whole time. You don't have to be afraid."

She stared at her for a moment then hesitantly climbed off the bike. She grabbed her by the hand and followed her to the front door.

The house the two was at was large. Exceptionally large. It had a two-car garage, plenty of green space in the front yard, and a balcony on the second level. It was located in a more urban part of Saga not that far from a long highway running through the city. The house was beautiful; its lawn and foliage was well-kept, the light concrete-like texture of the outside accented the dark steel roofing nicely, and it was overall a very nice place.

The two walked up the steps to the door and Saki slipped on her glasses. Preparing for the worst, she pushed the child behind her. "Stand behind me." Judging by the child's unwillingness to see her father, he might not be the best person, so she was prepared to fight if necessary. She stepped forward and knocked on the door quickly then stood back where she was initially.

After a few seconds, the door creaked open and a massive, hulking man with a huge scar over his eye stood before her. He wore a pale blue button-up shirt and khaki pants and his wingspan was definitely longer than she was tall. "Hi. How can I help you?"

She took a step back. _H-he's huge! What the hell?!_ She felt Lily tremble behind her. She swallowed her fear and spoke. "Uh, hi… Are you Takeo?"

He raised an eyebrow. "Yes. Why?"

 _Here goes nothing…_ She took a deep breath. "Now, uh, don't freak out, but there's someone you should meet." She slowly stepped to the side and pushed the child out from behind her, revealing Lily, who had covered her face with her hands. She stood right beside the child, prepared to put her hands up to fight the man at any given moment.

He stared at the girl silently, studying the child's blue hair and exposed pink heart. After a minute, he crouched down to get on her level. "…What?" He was visibly flying through many emotions at once.

Lily's heart started beating rapidly. She peeked through her fingers for a moment, then quickly covered her eyes back up.

He slowly reached a hand out toward the child and felt her hair in his hands. "Is it really you…?"

Saki's eyebrows shot up at the man's touch and she watched like a hawk to see if he would make any moves to hurt her.

Lily said nothing, but her heart sped up.

"It can't be…" Takeo continued. "Masao is gone."

 _Masao? Who the hell is Masao?_ Saki sighed. _Forget it._ "Takeo, this is Lily. She's a zombie."

He looked up at her in shock.

"I'm a zombie, too. We're both zombies."

He continued to stare at her in stunned silence for a moment, processing the existence of zombies, then slowly turned his head back to Lily. "M-Masao…?"

She nodded from behind her hands.

He gasped and a wide smile spread across his face. He yanked her into a hug. "Masao…!" he sobbed.

She threw her hands around and squirmed. "Ahh! My heart! You're hurting me!"

At the child's cry, Saki stepped into a stance and gritted her teeth. "Put her down NOW!"

He released her. "S-sorry… I can't believe it's really you…! How is this possible?!"

She looked to the side and pouted. "I dunno."

Takeo, clearly unfazed by how cold the child was being towards him, cried uncontrollably. "M-Masao… it's you…"

 _Jeez, I thought this dude would be tough! He's just a huge crybaby!_ She turned and looked at the child next to her. "Masao?"

She angrily looked at her. "My name isn't Masao! It's Lily!"

"Huh?" She looked between the two, now greatly confused. "The hell's going on here?"

Takeo looked up. "Look at you… What happened?"

She shrugged nonchalantly. "I'm a zombie now."

He stared at her and sniffled. "Let's… go… inside."

* * *

Takeo led the two inside the house and down the hall to a well-decorated living room. The first thing that caught Saki's eye was the sloppily-patched crater in the wall in front of the couch where there had obviously been some kind of accident. In the corner there was a small shrine with two pictures on it, one of which was Lily herself. There was also a drawing of the father and daughter, clearly drawn by the latter, hung up on the wall next to the shrine. Near the window was a large table with two chairs.

Lily instinctively took a seat on one end of the table and Takeo sat on the other. Saki was left to stand behind the child, who squeezed her hand tightly.

Tears continued streaming down Takeo's smiling face. "How is this possible?" he asked, beaming.

Lily sighed and rested her head on her free hand, supported by her elbow. "We already told you. We're zombies."

"To see you again…" he wiped a tear from his eye. "I must be dreaming."

"It's not a dream," she said coldly.

"I can't believe it's really you…"

"It is," she pouted.

His face fell. "Aren't you happy to see me?"

She sat up in her chair, slammed her hand down on the table, and squeezed Saki's hand. "No! You didn't care about me! You only cared about how I looked on TV! I'm still really mad at you!"

His eyes widened at the girl's anger toward him and he realized. "I… I know." He lowered his head. "I'm sorry. I was a terrible father…"

She sat back in confusion. "Huh?"

"I overworked you. I'm sorry that I didn't realize that until you were already gone… I should have spent more time with you… you have every right to be upset with me. I'm sorry."

Saki took off her glasses and stared in disbelief. _The hell? He's apologizing to her?_

"Pappy…!" Tears had started forming in the child's eyes.

"You've been gone for so long… I never thought I would get the chance to apologize." He raised his head back up to reveal a wobbly smile spreading from ear to ear. "This is the happiest day of my life."

Lily released Saki's hand and ran around the table to hug her father. The two clutched each other, crying into one another for what felt like an eternity.

Saki stared at the two in disbelief. _What the…? Seriously?_

Finally, the hug broke apart and he looked down at her. Now that the pleasantries were out of the way, he was eager to learn how she was back. "How long have you been like this?"

"A week!"

"What have you been doing?"

"It's kind of a long story," Saki interrupted.

Takeo looked at her and smiled. "I've got all the time in the world." He took Lily's hand and took her to the couch, motioning for Saki to follow them. "What did you say your name was?"

"Uh, Saki. Saki Nikaido."

He smiled softly and wiped a tear from his eye. "Nice to meet you."

 _The hell? He's totally different from how he was when he answered the door…_ She took a seat next to Lily on the couch and sighed. _Guess I'm about to tell the same damn story for the third time in a row…_

"It all started when we woke up!" Lily started. "There was a loud crash, and I looked around, and there was a scary zombie in the middle of the room! Me, Junko-chan, and Ai-chan all ran against the wall, but Saki-chan just woke up super slowly."

 _Oh, maybe I won't have to tell the story…_

"Junko? Ai?" Takeo asked.

"Oh! They're really nice! They're the other zombies who left the house with us!"

"The house?"

 _Actually, no. She's worse than me at this._ "Maybe we should tell things one step at a time," Saki suggested. "Just tell him the story from start to end."

Lily brought her hand to her chin. "Hmmm… maybe you should do it instead."

She rolled her eyes. "Alright, but when we get to the part where we leave, you gotta tell your side."

She smiled. "Alright!"

* * *

"And then we came here on my bike! Saki-chan's is still drying."

Saki sighed in satisfaction of finishing yet another retelling of their origin story. _Man, I should just record this and play it back whenever someone asks…_

"Wow," Takeo said. "You've had quite the adventure." He looked up at Saki. "Thank you for keeping Masao safe."

"My name isn't Masao! It's Lily!"

He looked back at Lily. "R-right…" he looked back at Saki. "Thank you for keeping Lily safe."

 _Why the hell is he calling her that?_ "Yeah, it's no big deal."

He sighed. "Now… Lily…" he looked down and paused for a moment before continuing. "I… don't want you to be a biker anymore."

"What?!" The two zombies yelled in unison.

"I just got you back…" he slowly turned back to Lily. "I could never forgive myself if I lost you again."

Saki stared in silence. _Oh…_

Lily stared up at him for a moment. "Pappy… I want to be a biker with Saki-chan and Junko-chan and Ai-chan."

There was sincere conflict in his eyes. He sighed. "But how do I know something won't happen to you?"

"I'm a zombie now, Pappy. You don't have to worry about me. Isn't that right, Saki-chan?"

"H-huh? Oh, yeah, zombies are way more tough than regular people. You don't have to worry about her getting hurt."

He stared at her. "You're sure she can take care of herself?"

She nodded. "Absolutely positive."

"And what if she can't?"

She paused for a long moment and stared into his eyes. She saw nothing but the pupils of a concerned parent. She swallowed. "Then I will."

"You promise?"

"I promise."

This seemed to ease his worries, as he relaxed a lot more. There was a moment of peace before he pulled Saki into a hug.

"Gah!" she exclaimed, surprised. Her first instinct was to try and break out of the hug, but her rational side came through and she knew he wasn't trying to hurt her. Regardless, the hug was still incredibly uncomfortable for her.

He held her there for a few seconds before letting her go. "Alright. You can be a biker."

Lily gasped in excitement. "Really?!"

"But you have to be back home every night by one."

"One?!" She turned to Saki with a wide smile on her face. "That's so late!"

Saki grinned with her. _Phew! I thought he would say no…_

"Saki, you and your friends are also welcome here anytime," Takeo offered. "I- we have a spare bed in case you all need somewhere to sleep." He looked down at the child with a wide grin, happy to be able to correct himself on such a slip of the tongue.

She looked back up at him in surprise. "Huh? Really?"

He nodded. "It's the least I could do for bringing Masao back to me."

She pouted. "My name isn't Masao! It's Lily!"

"R-right. Sorry."

Saki squinted. _Seriously, why does he keep calling her that? It doesn't seem like a nickname or anything… what is it?_

He stood up. "Well, I bet you girls would like something to eat… it's a long ride here from Karatsu."

Lily gasped and jumped up off the couch. "Yeah! I haven't eaten anything in a week!"

He was shaken by this. "A week?!"

Saki shrugged. "She's fine. Zombies don't actually need to eat to survive, but we still get hungry."

"I see. Well, let me get something for you to eat, then."

* * *

Saki sucked every last piece of rice out of her bowl. "Oh, so good…"

Lily moaned in happiness and rubbed her stomach. "I missed eating so much…"

The two girls were seated across from one another at the table. Takeo stood in the kitchen doing the dishes.

Saki turned to Takeo. "That was great, Hoshikawa."

He smiled. "Oh, my name isn't Hoshikawa. It's Go."

She cocked her head. "Huh?" _The hell is with these people and names?_ "Why the hell do you two have different surnames?"

"Language," he lectured quickly prior to answering her question. "Lily Hoshikawa is… not her birth name."

She looked at Lily, then at Takeo, and suddenly, something in Saki's mind clicked. _Oh…_ She looked over at Lily, who seemed incredibly uncomfortable. _She doesn't look like a dude, though…_

"Anyway…! If you're done, I can show you to your room."

 _Huh? Is it really that late?_ Saki peered out the windows. It was indeed quite dark outside. _I guess it wouldn't hurt to stay the night…_ She got out of her chair and followed Takeo out the door, down the hall, around the corner, and up the stairs.

"Here you go," he said, opening the door to a guest bedroom. It was neatly kept and well-furnished, with a queen-size bed, two nightstands, a dresser, a closet, a lamp, and a small television. There was also a bathroom attached to the room.

"Oh, sweet! Thanks, Takeo!"

He smiled. "You're welcome. Please let me know if you need anything."

"Okay! Will do!" She wandered in and looked around. _This is crazy nice!_ She looked into the bathroom to find a full-size shower. _Hell yes! A shower!_ She closed the door and quickly started stripping her clothes off, but she caught a look at herself in the mirror and was reminded that if she wanted to shower, she'd need to reapply all her bandages. She poked herself in the chest to find the bandage loose and damp. _Huh. Maybe I should get some new bandages anyway…_ She put her shirt back on and walked out the door. "Yo, Takeo!" she called.

"It's like you're not even trying!"

The distant voice of Lily told Saki that they were still in the living room. She made her way down the stairs and back to where she came.

"I'm sorry, Lily, but it's just… I stopped trying to adapt once you passed," Takeo apologized.

She stopped outside the door. _The hell is going on in there?_ She pressed her ear up against the door.

"Please… just call me Lily…" the child pleaded.

"I'm trying, but it's hard… I've been thinking of you as Masao since you were a baby. It's hard to adapt."

She mumbled something unintelligible in response.

"I know you've been this way for a while, and I'm sorry that I'm not very good at showing you that I know that. I love you, but I'm not good at showing it…" he sniffled. "I was never good at loving you. It's why you died. I shouldn't have worked you so hard. I'm sorry."

Saki gasped. _H-he's the one who killed her?! Did I really just take her back to her murderer…?!_ She didn't know what to think, but she decided to listen a bit more.

"It's alright, Pappy. Now that I'm a zombie, I'll never grow up and look like you! I'll be cute forever! So thank you for killing me!"

 _Oh._ She snickered. _Did she really just say that? Only a kid would think that's okay._

"It's so nice to have you back, Lily. I still can't believe this is real."

"It's nice to see you too, Pappy!"

She turned back towards the door. _Maybe now's a better time to barge in._ She softly pushed the door open. "Hey, Takeo, do you have any bandages? Mine'll come off if I shower."

He and Lily turned around to look at her from the couch. "Oh, there's some in the bathroom on the main floor. Feel free to use as much as you need."

"Thanks." She turned and walked out.

"Maybe now's a good time to head to bed?" the muffled voice of Takeo bled through the door.

"Awh…" Lily moped.

"Hey, you said you didn't get any sleep last night! You need to sleep in order to do your best. Or do I have to force you up there with your worst enemy?"

She giggled. "Pappy, stop! You're tickling me!"

"Whoa, I can barely reach you with that massive heart! It's so big!"

Saki smiled. _It's good to know she has a good family._ She took a deep breath and rummaged through the bathroom's drawers. _Must be nice._ Finally, she found the bandages and looked up at herself in the mirror. _I promised to protect her, didn't I?_ She paused for a moment. _I really did say that to her dad_ … She turned to see Lily exit the living room, holding her father's hand. She put on a determined smile. _I'll make sure to keep that promise._


	34. The Abduction

Saki woke up to the smell of bacon. She gasped. _Bacon!_ She leaped out of bed and threw the door open, sprinting down the stairs. She ran to the kitchen to find Takeo frying bacon on the stovetop.

Lily bounced up and down in her seat at the table. She was wearing an entirely different set of clothes than before: now she wore a blue and beige dress with long blue socks. Her hair was also much cleaner than it was before. Her heart was beating happily. "Good morning, Saki-chan!" she waved. She kept bouncing in excitement.

"Morning," she replied. She took a seat at the table across from Lily. _Man, she's really happy today…_ she couldn't help but smile back at her.

"Oh, Saki! Good morning!" Takeo turned and smiled at her.

"Morning," she replied again. _These two are really happy to see each other…_

"So, Saki! What are we gonna do today?" Lily asked.

She brought her hand to her chin. "I don't have a whole lot laid out. I'll probably finish painting my bike, but we won't actually be doing anything until tomorrow." She looked at her and smiled. "You can probably spend the day with your dad."

Lily beamed. "You hear that, Pappy?! We can spend the whole day together!"

"That's wonderful…" he said cheerily. "Let me let my work know I won't be coming in today." He pulled the bacon out of the pan and laid it atop a stack of bacon on a plate. He then left the room, leaving Saki and Lily alone. There was a long moment of silence before one of them spoke.

"Saki-chan, thank you for bringing me back here."

She looked back at Lily. "Huh?"

"To be honest, I was trying to forget about him… but I'm glad you brought me here. Otherwise, I might never have gotten to see him again!" She smiled really wide.

Saki smiled. "Well, that's good." _Even if we don't get any money from him, I'm glad she's happy._

"Alright, who wants breakfast?" Takeo asked as he reentered. Both girls looked up to see him grab the plate of bacon and pluck two pieces of toast out of the toaster. He split a little bit of both between two plates and carried them over to the table. "Here you go!"

* * *

Saki pulled through her hair with the brush one last time and looked in the mirror. _I think that's good enough._ She put the brush on the bathroom counter and returned to the room to put on the rest of her outfit. She put on the bomber jacket and sunglasses and looked back at herself. _Damn, I really do look stupid,_ she thought. She frowned at her reflection, then turned to the dresser, where she had left the key. She looked at the TV. _Damn, I should've watched something while I was here…_ she shrugged. _Whatever. I'll do it another time._ She grabbed the key and began swinging it around on her finger. She walked out the room. "Hey, Shrimpy! I'm headed out! I'll be back tomorrow to pick you up!"

"Okay!" Lily yelled from down the hall.

She headed down the stairs and started putting her boots on. She slipped on one, then the other, and stood up. She opened the door and walked out and into the driveway.

"Saki!"

She turned to see Takeo standing in the doorway.

"Thank you," he said. "You have no idea how much this means to me."

She smiled and gave a thumbs up. "No problem!" She climbed onto the bike.

"If you need anything from me, anything at all, please don't hesitate to ask."

She nodded. "Will do!" She backed down the driveway and sped away. _Looks like we got our sponsor after all…_

* * *

Junko was the first to wake up. She opened her eyes and looked at the ceiling of the orange tent, Ai in her arms. She laid there for a few moments before she released the sleeping girl and sneakily climbed out of the tent. She found Saki outside.

"I thought camping wasn't allowed in this park…" Saki snickered. She was already bent over, spraying another layer of paint onto her bike's left side.

"Oh! Saki! Good morning! How did it go?"

"It went great. He's a really nice dude. I gave Lily the day off so she could spend some time with him."

"Oh, that was nice of you!"

"Well, it's not like we're doing a whole lot today. We've gotta wait 'til tomorrow to do anything. So I figured she could just hang out with her dad. Catch up a little."

"It must be nice to still know someone from when you were still alive."

Saki stopped spraying for a second. _It's only nice if they haven't changed._

Junko thought for a second and her smile dropped. She sat down just outside the tent and sighed. "You know, when I died… there were a lot of people I let down. I would do anything to go back and see those people again."

She said nothing. She just stared at her own sloppy reflection in the wet paint.

"My parents… my manager… my old friends from middle school… I abandoned them."

She looked over at Junko. She was crying. _Oh, shit! I'm supposed to help her!_ She stood up and slowly walked over and sat down next to her.

Junko leaned onto her shoulder. "I left everything behind… and now we live in the woods, hiding from the public because we're freaks."

She thought about telling her about where she had slept the previous night, but decided it would be better to wait until she was done crying. She kept her mouth shut.

"I just wish I'd stayed dead sometimes…" she looked up. "But then I remember everything good that's happened so far…" she sniffled. "I'm glad everything turned out okay, but I really would have preferred to have not died at all."

She looked up at the sky. _Can't say I don't feel the same way…_

She sighed. "But this is where we are now. There's no use in fighting it."

"Do you ever feel like you would have been better off as a zombie idol?" Saki asked.

"Sometimes. But I think it's good that I got a change of pace." By now she had stopped crying. She looked up at the plane flying overhead and took a deep breath.

"Would you ever go back with Sakura?"

"Never." She smiled. "Maybe I would have in the beginning, but now that a week has passed, I've invested a lot more into Dorami. Besides, she's crazy…"

Saki laughed.

There was shuffling inside the tent. The two girls turned to see Ai poke her head out. "Hello?"

"Sup." Saki flicked her head upwards as a greeting.

She rubbed her eyes. "What time is it?"

Junko cocked her head. "Don't you have the phone?"

"Oh yeah." She took her phone out of her pocket. "It's already 11…?" She looked around. "Where's Lily?"

"She's with her father," Junko replied.

"Is she okay?"

"Oh, yes, she's fine. Right, Saki?"

Saki nodded. "Yeah. Her dad is really nice. You guys should meet him."

"I imagine we will soon enough," Junko said.

She stood back up. "I'm gonna get back to spraying the bike." She turned to the others. "You two have any plans for today?"

Ai nodded. "Yeah, we're gonna go to a store and look at new TV's and stuff. Junko wants to see how technology has evolved."

"Huh. Neat. Do you think I could go along?"

"Well, um, we only have two pairs of glasses… plus, we kinda wanted it to be a… just us… thing?" She gestured with her hands awkwardly.

"Alright. I get it. It's a date. Whatever. I'll be here if you need me." She turned back towards the bike and squatted back down, picking up where she left off on the paint. She saw Ai blushing brightly out of the corner of her eye and smiled. _You're so bad at hiding it._

Ai shook her head and stopped blushing. She stepped out of the tent and stretched. She checked the phone again. "Oh, I've got a text!"

"What's a text?" Junko asked.

"It's like a note you pass to someone else over the internet," she explained. "I don't know who it's from… the name is just a number." She read the message aloud. "Are you all doing anything today." She looked up. "I should ask who they are, right?"

"Neither of us know anything about that crap, Bandages," Saki sighed. "You figure it out."

She rolled her eyes. "I'm gonna ask them who they are."

"Alright. Whatever."

Ai typed out her message then put the phone back in her pocket. "Alright, Junko, let's go." She got on her bike. "Saki, we should be back in a few hours. Can you take down the tent for us?"

"Alright," she replied, not looking up from her bike.

"Oh! You have my glasses, Saki…" Junko said.

She took the glasses off her face and blindly tossed them over her shoulder. She heard a light gasp followed by the sound of plastic hitting skin.

"Nice catch!" Ai said. "Alright, we'll see you later!"

"Bye!" Junko exclaimed.

The two sped off, leaving Saki alone with her thoughts. She sighed. _Slow day._

* * *

Sakura laid on the floor of the girls' bedroom, unmoving. _Slow day._ With Shinta ghosting her, it was becoming more and more difficult for her to entertain herself. She felt like she had thought every thought, felt every feeling, and breathed every breath. Now she stared at the ceiling, unmoving. Her heart had slowed to a crawl and her mouth was dry. There was absolutely nothing for her to do, and as a result she was bored out of her mind as well as body.

Then the sound of a phone ringing brought her back to life.

She shot up and scrambled over to the wall where the phone was charging and flipped it open. "Hello?!"

"Sakura! Are you able to leave right now?!"

"Huh?" She looked around. No one else was in the room with her except for Tae. _I think Koutarou-san is still here…_ she looked back at the phone. _But now's my chance to do something!_ "Yes! Why?"

"Okay. I'm coming to pick you up. I'll be there in about two minutes. We need to move quick. Be ready when I get there."

She jumped to her feet. "Okay!" _There's no use asking him questions… he does what he wants._ "I'll be waiting outside!" She flipped the phone shut and sighed. _Based on what he said yesterday, he probably knows where I live…_ She ran down the stairs. Once she got to Koutarou's room, she hesitated. _Do I really want him to know I'm leaving?_ She looked down at her bare legs. _But if I don't go in there, I won't have a disguise…_ she shook her head. _Whatever. I don't need a disguise. I'm sure whoever we're meeting knows I'm a zombie._ She walked to the genkan and slipped on her shoes before running out the front door and down to the gate.

"Gruhhhhrhh," a voice called from the door.

She turned to see Tae stumbling down the path after her.

"Ah! Tae-chan! No! Get back inside!" She pointed angrily at her and flicked her wrist back towards the mansion.

She merely cocked her head. "Hrrrrarhrhhh?" She continued to waddle towards her.

Sakura peeked around the gate and saw Shinta's car approaching from over the horizon. _What do I do? What do I do?_ She turned back to the zombie beside her. "Tae-chan! You need to go back inside! You can't come with me!" She stepped through the gate and pointed back towards the house. "Go!"

She followed her through the gate and started chewing on her pointing hand.

"No, Tae-chan! You need to go inside!"

The car braked behind her. The driver side window rolled down to reveal Shinta staring at her. "Hey, Sakura. Who's that? Is that Tae?"

"Yes! I was just trying to get her inside!" She yanked her arm out of her mouth. "Go inside! Seriously!"

"No, wait… she's the one who hasn't woken up yet, right?"

She turned to look at him. "Yes, but-"

"Bring her with us."

"Huh? Why?"

"Just get in! Bring her with us! We've gotta move! We're already running late!"

 _What do I do? What do I do?!_ Sakura jumped and threw open the door. She pushed Tae through then jumped in herself. The car had already taken off by the time she had closed the door.

"Alright! We're gonna go meet with someone who'll help us find the bridge girls!"

"Who?" she asked, reorienting Tae so that she sat normally.

"They call her Misa the Fallen Angel."


	35. The Other Gang

Tae pressed her mouth up against the window. If her breath were hot, it would fog up the glass immediately, but her body temperature was no higher than room temperature. The opacity of the window remained the same.

"Misa is the boss of Korosuke. When we meet her, you need to treat her with utmost respect." Shinta peered at Sakura in the mirror. "It was really hard to get ahold of her since I'm a journalist. I was only able to get an audience with her because I said that we had info about Dorami. You've got to do anything she says and tell her anything she wants. This is our biggest opportunity to find them." His eyes shot back onto the road. "If they pass on us, you might as well give up."

Sakura blinked. _That's a lot to take in…_ she closed her mouth and put on a determined face. _I need to do whatever I can to bring them back, though!_ "I understand." She turned to Tae. "Why did you bring Tae-chan, though?"

"I wanted to see what an unawakened zombie was like, and I didn't have time to do it right there. We'll do it after."

Sakura cocked her head. "Oh." _He's really a curious person, huh?_ She looked out the window at downtown Karatsu. _Oh, look at all the restaurants…_ her stomach grumbled at her. She saw Shinta raise an eyebrow out the corner of her eye. "S-sorry! I haven't eaten anything in a few days!"

"A few days?" he asked. "Jeez, he really tortures you, huh?"

She looked down. _Does he?_ She rubbed her empty stomach. _Sure, I haven't eaten anything, but that isn't really torture, is it? He's only not feeding us because he can't afford to_ _…_ She looked out the window as they crossed one bridge, then another. _Wow, the river's really low this year…_ she thought to herself. _Wait, how did I know that?_ She looked down at her hand. _Is this déjà vu?_

"We're here."

Sakura's self-contemplation flew out of her head. She looked out the windshield as the car pulled into a mostly empty parking lot next to a beautiful three-story building. She read the kanji on the front. "The Soka Gakkai Karatsu Cultural Center?" She turned to Shinta. "Why is she here?"

"She's around the back." He pulled into a parking spot near the rear end of the building and turned off the car. "Come on." He opened the door and climbed out.

Sakura stepped out of the car. "Tae-chan, you stay here." She closed the door and hurried after him, making sure to hide the green parts of her skin from the cars passing as much as possible.

Tae pressed up against the window and stared at Sakura. "Grrrhahh…!"

Shinta and Sakura stepped around the corner and reached the back of the building, which was a large concrete patio that was covered above by the second and third floors. The patio was very dark. Hidden in the darkness was a tall silver-haired woman in black wielding a whip.

"Shinta Okoba and Sakura Minamoto," she said as she stepped forward. "It's good to see you."

Sakura weakly raised her hand as a greeting. "H-hi…" _She's so scary!_

"Thank you for agreeing to meet with me," Shinta said.

"We've been having quite a bit of trouble recently with… zombies…" she eyed Sakura suspiciously. "I hear that you know quite a bit about them."

She swallowed. "Y-yes…"

"Alright, well, let me set one thing straight before we begin." She snapped her fingers.

There was a chorus of feet moving. Sakura and Shinta turned to see that they were completely surrounded by around a dozen armed Korosuke members.

Misa took a few steps forward and held her whip to Shinta's neck. "This is completely off the books. If we see this in Sagazine, Okoba, you will pay dearly."

He swallowed. "My interest in this case isn't related to my job at all. Nothing is getting published."

She stared at him for a few more seconds before she stepped back. "Very well. Weapons down."

All the Korosuke members concealed their weapons.

Misa took a seat on the seat of a bike that was parked behind her. "Now… tell me what you know."

Sakura looked at Shinta, who nodded. She looked back towards Misa and took a deep breath. "Well, um, we… we're zombies. Well, Okoba-san isn't, but I am."

"Yes, we figured that out already."

"R-right! Sorry! Um, it all started about a week ago… when they all woke up."

"They? How many is they?"

"U-um, there are six other zombies. I was already awake… I woke up the day before."

"Why did you wake up a full day before everyone else?"

"Huh?" She brought her hand to her chin. _That's a good question…_ "I don't know…"

"Whatever. What happened next?"

"W-well, once they heard that we were supposed to be an idol group-"

One of the girls behind her attempted to stifle a laugh unsuccessfully.

She turned. "It's not a joke! I really felt something special up on stage! But they didn't even want to try…" She turned back to Misa. "I caught two of them trying to leave… Ai-chan and Junko-chan. I followed them into town, trying to get them to come back, but we ended up attracting trouble… but out of nowhere, Saki-chan came to save us." She looked across the patio at the water. "The next day, the three of them jumped out of the van and into the river…"

Misa put her hand to her chin. "What did they look like?"

"Huh? Um, well, Ai-chan has black hair with flowers in it and lots of bandages, Junko-chan has white, fluffy hair and a lot of stitches, and Saki-chan has long blonde hair with highlights."

"That's her!" Someone behind her whispered.

Sakura turned. "What?! Did they already do something?"

Misa stood up. "They stole four bikes from us."

Sakura looked back at Misa and put her face into her hands. "Oh no…" She shot back up. "Wait, four? Oh yeah! I wasn't done!"

"Oh?"

"Yeah! When Saki-chan jumped into the river, I pulled her arm off on accident. And then a few days later Lily-chan got her hands on it and ran away with it. We ended up following her to a store nearby, where we ran into them and three other girls!"

Misa gritted her teeth at the mention of 'three other girls'. "And when did this happen?"

"Um, it was a few days ago…" she put her hand to her chin. "I think it was… two days ago."

"What did those three other girls look like?"

She dropped her arm back down to her side. "They had long red jackets and-"

"Damn it…" Misa whispered to herself quietly. She looked back up at Sakura. "These zombie girls. What did their bikes look like?"

"Um, well…" she looked at the bike she had been sitting on. "They all looked like that one."

"See! I told you it was Dorami!" A girl behind her bounced up and down.

Misa glared at her. "Asuka, what did I say?"

She calmed down immediately and dropped her head. "Sorry, Miss Misa…"

She rolled her eyes and looked back towards Sakura. "This… Saki was her name, right?"

Sakura nodded.

"This Saki character is quite the biker. You know, yesterday she stole my bike and apparently made an expert getaway. Do you know what they were before they died?"

"Well, Lily-chan was an actress, Ai and Junko were idols, and Saki-chan was actually a biker from Dorami."

There was a collective gasp from Korosuke.

"No wonder she was able to get away like that." She brought her hand to her chin and smiled. "Well, it looks like we have a new reason to crush Dorami…"

"Hold on! Remember our deal!" Shinta yelled. "You'll bring them back to us alive!"

Sakura looked between the two rapidly. "Huh?"

He turned to her. "You're never gonna be able to get them back with your words. If you want them back, you'll need to force them back."

She sighed. She didn't want to believe it, but she knew that he was right. "Alright…"

One of the girls leaned in close to Misa. "What's the plan? Should we go find them and crush them right now?"

"Now, now," she replied quietly. "That would only tip them off. I have a much better idea. If they have zombies on their side, we should have something that can match that," she smiled.

"What do you mean?"

She laughed to herself. "Watch." She turned towards Sakura and stepped forward. "Sakura."

Sakura turned to her. "Huh?"

"Have you ever heard of the phrase 'fight fire with fire'?"


	36. The Initiation

"Have you ever heard of the phrase 'fight fire with fire'?"

"Yes…" Sakura answered. "Why?"

"Well, I was thinking. It might be quite a bit easier to catch them if we had someone who could match up with what they brought to the table, don't you think?" She raised her eyebrows with a sly smile.

He eyebrows shot up. "W-wait, are you asking me to join Korosuke?" She looked up at Shinta, who was grinning from ear to ear.

"Have you ever ridden a bike before, Sakura?" Misa asked.

She looked back at her. "W-well, I've ridden the ones with pedals, but never a motorcycle!" She started gesturing wildly. "I have no idea how to do any of that! I could never be a biker!"

She snapped her fingers. "Kozue! Bring out the bike!"

The girl who had spoken to her moments before took the bike Misa had been sitting on and rolled it out to the parking lot. She tossed her the key.

She placed the key in Sakura's hand and smiled. "Try it."

Sakura looked down at the key, then back at Misa, then at Shinta.

"Do it," he said through gritted teeth.

 _He did say to do whatever she wanted me to…_ She sighed and walked past the members of Korosuke. She sat on the bike's seat and put the key in the keyhole. She turned the key, but it wouldn't start. _Huh? Why won't it work?_ "How do I turn it on?"

Misa walked over. She flipped a switch and guided her hand to the left brake. "Squeeze this." Then she pressed the button and the bike roared to life and rested at a gentle purr.

She looked up at her, afraid. "Are you really sure about this?"

She smiled and nodded. "It's just like riding a regular bike. You'll see. Just twist the throttle and you'll move forward." She pointed at the throttle on the right side.

She stared at her blankly. "Look at me."

"Hmm?" She eyed her.

She waved her stump in the air obnoxiously.

"Oh…" she said. She took her sleeve and rolled it around the throttle, tying it off at the end. "Now try."

She looked down at the bike, then back at Misa. "Are you serious?"

"Just try it," She pushed eagerly.

She looked back at the bike and took a deep breath. _I might as well…_ she closed her eyes and twisted back the throttle. Her eyes jolted open as she shot forward. "Eep!" She immediately braked.

"Yes, do be careful. These accelerate quickly."

She took another deep breath and twisted the throttle more slowly this time. To her surprise, she found herself moving at a reasonable pace. It was shockingly intuitive. "Oh!" She rode in a circle around the parking lot and stopped in front of Misa.

"See? I told you," she said, grinning. She extended her hand towards her. "We could really use someone like you in Korosuke."

Sakura looked up at her. "You really think that was good?"

She smiled. "We need someone like you on our team."

 _She didn't even answer the question…_ she looked down. _What do I do? What do I do?_ She looked over at Shinta, who was nodding furiously. She looked down. _What do I do? I can't just join a biker gang!_ _But…_ She looked up. _If I'm going to find them, I need to do everything I can!_ She put on a determined face and took her hand. "I'll do it."

Misa smiled. "Excellent."

She looked down at the bike. "How do I turn it off?"

"Oh, you just flip this switch." Misa flipped the kill switch and the engine died down.

Sakura sighed. "I'm going to get rid of Dorami, and then they'll have to-" she stopped. _What's that sound?_ She turned around and looked at the car she had arrived in. Now that the bike's engine had died down, she could hear the sound of Tae repeatedly hitting her head against the window. _Oh no! What is she doing?_

"Did you bring someone else with you?" She turned to Shinta with a disappointed look on her face. "You said it would only be the two of you, Shinta. You know you aren't supposed to bring any extra people." She grabbed her whip off her hip and unraveled it with a snap.

"I wouldn't exactly call her a person…!" he stammered out.

"Hmm?" Misa turned back towards the car. She rolled back up her whip and walked towards the back window. She peered inside, locking eyes with Tae. She smiled. "Another zombie! Excellent!" She pulled the door open.

"Wait, Misa!" Sakura stood up.

Tae burst out on all fours and ran straight towards Sakura, planting herself on her head. She chewed softly on her scalp.

"What's this?" Misa asked, curious.

"Tae-chan hasn't woken up yet…" she sighed. "She's basically like how zombies are in the movies." She put her hand to her chin. "Actually, maybe she's a bit more like a dog…"

"I see…" She brought her own hand to her chin. "Will she… infect us?"

Sakura dropped her hand. "Well, she's already bitten a lot of people and they turned out okay… I don't think so."

"Will she eat our brains?"

"Well, she only really bites people she likes… or people who have food."

"Can she ride a bike?"

Sakura laughed at Misa's last question. "That's pretty funny."

Misa stared expectantly.

"Wait, are you serious?"

"Of course I am."

"Are you stupid?"

The members of Korosuke gasped. Shinta put his hand over his face.

Misa looked sternly at her and took a deep breath. "Put her on the bike. I want to see what she can do."

She sighed. "If you say so…" She plucked Tae from her head and led her to the bike. She sat her down. "Squeeze this." She waited until she squeezed the brake then she turned on the bike. "Here, Tae-chan, you just twist this thing here-"

Tae twisted the throttle and took off.

She turned in shock to see her fly towards a wall. "Tae-chan! Be careful!"

She got closer and closer to the wall, but she turned at just the right time to avoid hitting it and kept going. At the end of the parking lot, she leaned into a curve to maintain her speed and barreled back towards her. She squeezed the brake and stopped immediately, sending her head flying towards her.

Sakura could have caught it, but she was too busy being in absolute shock over what had just happened. Tae's head hit her in the chest and fell to the ground.

"It seems like she has some muscle memory built up," Misa said. She looked over at Sakura. "I think with a little work, we could make her into an excellent biker."

She snapped back to reality and looked towards her. "You can't be serious! You think she can be a biker?"

She glared at her. "You think she can be an idol, do you not?"

Sakura was at a loss for words. _She can't be serious…_ She felt teeth dig into her leg. She looked down to find Tae's disembodied head gnawing on her ankle. She bent down, picked up the head, and reattached it to her body.

Misa extended her hand to Tae, just as she had with Sakura. "Tae, was it? We could really use some zombie power in Korosuke. Do you think you could join us?"

She bit down on Misa's hand softly. "Grmmmm…"

She let the girl chew on her hand. "Ah." She turned to Sakura. "Well, Sakura, do you have any other zombies with you? If I recall correctly, there's still one unaccounted for."

Sakura stared blankly at her. "She isn't with us. Even if she was, she could never ride a bike."

"You said you couldn't either, remember?"

She groaned. "No, I mean… she's not very supportive of my efforts. Plus, she's like, 150 years old."

She shook her head. "A shame."

Shinta stepped forward. "Do you think I could talk with Sakura for a minute? Alone?"

She turned and glared at him. "Very well."

He spun her around and whispered to her. "This has gone better than I could have possibly imagined! Now we're even closer to finding the bridge girls!"

She looked back at Tae, who continued to gnaw on Misa's hand. "There's no way this could work! I could do it myself, but with Tae-chan, it's just not possible!"

"Isn't that what you thought about being a zombie idol before your first show?" He smiled.

"You really think that I can do this? That she can do this?"

He nodded.

She stared up at him. _Well, I suppose it's worth a shot…_ She turned back to face the boss. "Misa!"

"Hmm?"

 _I can't believe I'm saying this…_ "Both me and Tae will join Korosuke!"

A wide smile spread across her face. "Excellent."

"But… you'll have to teach me how to ride a motorcycle."

She smiled. "I was already planning to. Both of you could use some work."

She sighed and turned to Shinta. "Now what?"

He put his hands on her shoulders. "Now you have two options. You can either go back to the house and tell Koutarou what you just did, or you could not."

Her eyes shot open in shock. "I-I forgot about Koutarou-san! Oh no! What am I gonna do?"

Shinta shook her. "Do you really need him?!"

She looked up at him. "I… I don't know! I don't want to just leave him!" She looked down. "But he is… a bit distant…"

"You don't have to go back."

"Well, yes I do… he's the idol producer!"

He shook his head. "Then you can go back once you have the bridge girls back! He's a producer, not a detective! He doesn't know what he's doing right now!"

She looked down at the ground. "I don't know…"

"Listen, Sakura. You're gonna have to make sacrifices to find the bridge girls. Koutarou will only interfere. And I think you know that."

She silently stared down at the ground.

* * *

"This is my apartment." Misa opened the door to reveal a rather spacious main room with a kitchen to one side. There were two doors near the back that Sakura presumed led to a bedroom and bathroom. The apartment had a drab color scheme, with only browns and grays. "I normally wouldn't let any of Korosuke in here, but you two are a special exception. You may stay here as long as you like."

"Thank you," Sakura said weakly. She walked in and sat on the couch silently.

"Don't get too comfortable. We're going to get you fitted soon." She walked past her and disappeared into the bathroom.

Tae stumbled in and smelled the place. "Grrhh…"

Sakura sighed. _Did I really just do that? Everything is happening so fast… but I guess it's better than nothing._ She looked over at Tae. _I can't believe they brought along Tae-chan, though…_

Tae knocked over a lamp.

"Tae-chan! No!" She stood up and put the lamp back up. "Be careful!"

"Grrrhhh?" she cocked her head.

 _This is gonna be a disaster…_


	37. The Lesson

Saki looked up to see two bikes ride into the field. _Looks like Ai and Junko are back from their date…_ She stood up slowly. "Yo! How was it?"

The two girls stopped their bikes and stepped off, rolling them into the woods. "It was fun," Junko said, smiling. "Everything was so fancy…"

"It's amazing what phones can do nowadays," Ai added. "We took a slow motion video on one of them. It was really cool."

Junko took off her glasses. "You should have seen the televisions, Saki! They were enormous, but also flat!"

"Oh, I bet." Saki had already seen multiple televisions and gotten used to them at this point.

Ai sat down against a tree and sighed. "Anyway, Saki… how long until you're done?"

She laid back down where she had been before. "Another hour or so. I just sprayed on the last coat a few hours ago." She crossed one leg over the other and relaxed. "We should be good a little after sunset." She looked up at the sky, which was just starting to show some stars as the sun lowered behind the mountains across the river.

"Oh, Saki. I almost forgot. We got some text messages while we were out. Turns out that number was Maria," she said.

"Makes sense…"

"Anyway, she wants to know if she should have Sayama sew anything into your coat. Any kanji or pictures or whatever."

Saki brought her hand to her chin. "Huh. What does hers say again?"

She pressed a few buttons to scroll upwards in the text conversation. "It says Dorami on one line, 'Eighth Boss' on the next, then her name vertically."

She waved her hand. "Yeah, just have her do that, but, like, with 'Kamikaze Squad Leader' instead of 'Eighth Boss'. And make sure it's in katakana, not kanji."

"Alright. I'll let her know." She started typing. "You know, the phones they have today type a lot more intuitively. I wish we had one of those, but they're super expensive…"

"When I was alive, we only ever typed on the computer…" Junko said.

"Well, I mean, a phone is still a computer, but it's just really small."

"I know! It's so bizarre…"

"Oh! I got a message back!" Ai exclaimed. "She types really fast…"

"What's it say?" Saki asked.

"It just says okay."

"Oh."

"Yeah."

Saki slumped back into the tree. _Slow night…_

* * *

Korosuke's members' outfits were composed of a black crop top polo shirt with purple insides and buttons, black pants with a purple belt, purple boots, and a black mask with a purple heart on it. There was a lot of black and purple in general. Sakura and Tae had each donned these outfits. Sakura, though, had one exception to this dress code. She had been made a custom green polyester sleeve that wrapped around her torso, neck, and upper arm that was designed to allow her to twist the throttle on a bike. It had been put together pretty quickly by one of Korosuke's costume designers and was surprisingly intuitive. Tae, on the other hand, didn't have any intentional modifications to her outfit's design, but she had created a nice crease in her mask from chewing on it from the inside.

Sakura rode on the back of Misa's bike and Tae rode on the back of Kozue's bike. Each one was holding on tightly, but only one was screaming at the top of her lungs as they sped through the city at 100 kilometers per hour. With them were four other members of Korosuke. Finally, they stopped, and Sakura opened her eyes.

"We're here." Misa stood up and swiped Sakura's hands off of her.

She looked around. She was next to a massive asphalt track with plenty of strange lines, shapes, and patterns drawn all over the ground. "What is this place?" Sakura asked.

"It's a driving school," she explained. "We use it to practice at night when no one is around. This is where you'll be learning how to ride a bike."

Kozue pulled up next to her and stepped off her bike as well, leaving Sakura and Tae on the back of each bike.

"Kozue will be teaching you. She's the best driver we have and I expect you two to do everything she says." She motioned to the girl next to her. Appearance-wise, she was just another Korosuke member with orange hair.

"O-okay…"

"Grrrrhhhahhrh…"

She turned and walked over to the four girls behind her. "Which one of you wants to go home?" All of them raised their hands.

Kozue sighed. "Alright, you two. What're your names again?"

"I'm Sakura, and this is Tae-chan…"

"Alright then. Sakura, Tae. I'm Kozue, Korosuke's number one rider. I've been assigned with making sure that you guys are just as good as I am so you can stand up to the zombie bitches in Dorami." She groaned and rubbed her eyes. "Ugh, this is gonna take forever…" she whispered to herself quietly.

"Um… excuse me?" Sakura piped up.

She glared at her. "What?"

"U-um, how long do you think it will take?"

She shrugged. "God, who knows? A few weeks? Maybe more. It depends on how good you two are." She rubbed her nose with her finger and her thumb. "What I do know is my sleep schedule is gonna be so fucked up." She looked past the two zombies. "Hey! Which one of you has the squid?!"

"I got it!" One of the three remaining girls yelled back.

"Bring it here!"

 _Huh? What are they doing?_ She turned to look at the girl approaching them, who had a large bag of fried squid under her arm.

"It might be a little cold…"

"That's alright. Here, I just need a piece. Oh, bring me your bike, too."

"What's going on?" Sakura asked.

"I seem to recall you saying that she works in exchange for fried squid. We're taking advantage of that." She took a single piece of squid out of the bag.

"Hhhhhoahahhhhrhhg…" Tae moaned. Her mouth immediately began to water.

"Turn on her bike, Sakura." She climbed onto her own bike and turned it on. She held the squid high above her head.

Sakura leaned over and turned the key. Tae squeezed the brake herself. _Oh, she's holding it by herself!_ She flipped the switch and pressed the start button.

The second that Kozue heard Tae's engine start, she peeled out. Within seconds, she was speeding down the track. Tae twisted the throttle and took off after her, quickly getting adjusted to the controls of the bike.

Sakura watched in disbelief as Kozue weaved around obstacles and took sharp turns and Tae mimicked her actions almost perfectly, just wobbling a bit in a few places.

"GRAAUUUUUGHHHH!" Tae's screech was loud and sharp.

Finally, Kozue pulled back up to Sakura and threw the squid in the air.

Tae didn't bother braking, instead choosing to just jump off the bike and attempt to catch the squid in her mouth. The bike went flying and crashed into a fence. She missed the squid in midair and fell flat on her face. The squid landed on the ground next to her and she immediately dug right in.

"Wow, not bad…" Kozue whispered to herself. She turned to the three girls standing behind her. "One of you go get that bike back." She squatted down and looked at Tae. "The only thing I'm worried about is that you might have a pretty one-track mind…" she stood back up. "We'll have to work on that."

Sakura stared in awe. _How on Earth did she do that?_

Kozue turned to her. "Think you can do that?"

"Huh? N-no way! Are you kidding me?!"

She shook her head. "I figured you'd say that. A lot of biking is just getting over your fear of it. Seems like she doesn't have any fear whatsoever. She's already decent. You're what I'm worried about."

"H-huh?"

Kozue stepped up to her. "You're so nervous. I watched you ride in the parking lot earlier. It's obvious. To be a biker, you can't be afraid of the bike." She turned away. "It's simply a matter of overcoming your fear." She leaned against her bike. "Run the track. Show me what you can do."

Sakura stared at her. "You can't be serious…"

She sighed. "Do you wanna get those Dorami bitches back or not?"

She looked back down at her bike and sighed. _I guess if it's what I have to do…_ she turned her bike on, using her nose to press the start button. She tied her sleeve around the throttle and took a deep breath. "It's just a matter of overcoming your fear. It's just a matter of overcoming your fear. It's just a matter of overcoming your fear," She repeated to herself quietly. She opened her eyes and took another deep breath. "Here I go…" She slowly pulled back her stump and accelerated forward. She picked up more and more speed and made her way onto the track, approaching the first turn. She twisted the handlebars and found herself falling over, so she naturally shifted her weight into the turn to counteract it. _Concentrate! Don't get scared…_ She kept her eyes forward and completed the turn. Once she straightened out, she smiled from ear to ear. _Whoa, I did it!_ Then she looked down at the speedometer and noticed that she was going 75km/h. She gasped and immediately squeezed her brakes, sliding to the front of the bike and knocking all the wind out of herself. "Ouugh!" She fell to the ground.

"Hey. Sakura. You okay?"

She looked up, wheezing, to see Kozue standing over her. "Y-yeah…" she squeaked out.

"Why'd you stop? You were doing really good."

She regained her breath and looked back down at the ground. "I got scared of how fast I was going." She sighed.

"Come on. Get up." She grabbed Sakura by the arm and pulled her onto her feet. "You were doing a good job. You didn't fall until you started thinking about it."

"W-well… when I wath-" she took off her face mask. "Do we really have to wear these? They're super annoying…"

"Just wear it when Misa's around. No one'll tell."

She put the face mask in her pocket. "When I was going around, I was fine… I was determined to be a good biker. But then I relaxed, and that's when it all fell apart."

"Well, keep going at it. With enough tries, you'll be able to relax while riding, too. Subconsciously." She pulled the bike up. "For now, concentrate where you have to. It won't come easily to you. Especially you."

"W-what does that mean?"

"Oh, nothing." She turned back towards Tae and the three other girls. "Keep running the track until you can do it without thinking about it."

"B-but-"

She turned. "Did I stutter?"

Sakura shrunk back into her shirt. "N-no…"

"Alright. Then you'll keep running this track, over and over. All night. As long as it takes."

 _As long as it takes…_


	38. The Untrustworthy Manager

Four hours passed, and Sakura was still driving in her circle. It felt like she had fallen hundreds of times, and she just couldn't get it right. _What am I gonna do?_ _If I can't become a biker, I'll never be able to get them back…_ She approached the same turn she had fallen on dozens of times, concentrating and leaning into it, but at the last second she flinched and braked. She looked down. _I can't…_ She looked over at Kozue, who was trying to get Tae to do the track on her own. _What am I gonna do?_

There was the sound of tires screeching.

Sakura looked up to see a black van pull into the parking lot and blind her with its headlights. _Oh no… how did he find us?_

The van turned off and out stepped Koutarou. He frowned and started walking towards her.

One of the girls walked up to him and shoved him back toward the van. "Back off! This is Korosuke business!"

He stared down at her. "THIS IS ZOMBIE BUSINESS, YOU STUPID BIKER!" He threw her to the side and walked on past.

The girl was petrified and thus made no effort to do anything else to him. She merely watched him strut toward the girl.

Sakura bared her teeth. _How did he know I was here?_ She turned off her bike, untied herself, and walked towards Koutarou.

"What are you doing here?" he asked as he approached.

"I'm finding the bridge girls!" she yelled triumphantly.

He was unfazed. "You ran away without telling anyone."

"W-well, I was planning on coming back… but then Korosuke gave me an opportunity! And I took it!"

He looked past her at Kozue, then back at her. "We're going home." He turned and started walking away.

Sakura didn't move.

He noticed this and turned. "WE'RE GOING HOME, YOU STUPID ZOMBIE! GET A MOVE ON!"

"I'm not going!"

He put on a childish face and mocked her. "Oh? And why's that? Is the mansion so dangerous that you'd rather be a biker?"

She squinted angrily. "Who are you?"

"Wha…" He shook his head. "I'M KOUTAROU TATSUMI, THE MYSTERIOUS IDOL PRODUCER, THE MAN WHO-"

"Shut up! Who are you really?!" she yelled.

He stopped for a long moment before looking away. "I can't tell you that."

"Then why should I trust you at all?!" She shook her head. "I heard you talking the other night! How I wasn't ready to handle the truth!" She put her hand to her chest. "I can handle the truth!"

"No, you can't."

She turned. "Then I'll see you when I've captured the bridge girls." She started walking back towards her bike.

"Sakura-han…" Yuugiri called from the van. There was the distinct clopping of wood on asphalt.

"O-oh my god! Another zombie!" One of the Korosuke girls yelled.

Sakura turned to meet her glowing red gaze. "What?!"

"You don't have to trust us to let us help you. We want to see this idol group succeed just as much as you do. Yes, our reasons are mysterious and secretive, but they are good reasons. Just trust in the thought that we also believe in the project."

She stared at the two of them. "I'm going to take Dorami down using Korosuke. And I'm not coming back until I do. Don't bother trying to stop me."

"We don't plan on stopping you."

"Huh?" Koutarou and Sakura asked together.

Yuugiri pulled Koutarou in close and whispered in his ear. "If my understanding of her plan is correct, then she's very close to finding them. It's in our best interests to allow her to continue."

"You think so?" He asked.

"She will come to us when she needs us. We should just hope that this works out."

"Why don't we actively support her, then?"

"She obviously doesn't trust us. You and I being there would only hinder her work."

Sakura watched the two of them whisper to each other. She could hear every word. _They aren't very good at being discreet…_

Koutarou turned toward her. "Alright. You can continue being a biker. But let me put my number in your phone."

She reached into her pocket and handed him the phone, which had been thoroughly scratched and dented during her four hours of biking.

He flipped it open and pressed some buttons. Then he took out his own phone and pressed even more buttons. Then he looked back at her phone and pressed several more buttons. Then he pressed more buttons on his own phone. Finally, he handed her back her phone. "There."

She took it and looked up at him.

"Call me when you've caught them." He and Yuugiri turned back towards the van.

Sakura watched them walk away silently. _What on Earth was that?_

Koutarou turned around one final time. "And be careful with Tae. She's legendary." Then he climbed into the van, turned it on, and drove back the way he'd came.

She watched as the van disappeared behind the treeline then turned back towards her bike. _I can do this._ _Yuugiri-san said that I was their best bet! I can't fail!_ She sprinted back towards her bike and hopped on. Filled with newfound motivation, she turned it on and backed up. She took another deep breath, then pulled back the throttle and took off. She rapidly approached the first turn and clenched her teeth. Her turn began, and she leaned into it hard and had her knee mere inches from the ground. _I'm not afraid of you, Saki-chan!_ She breathed evenly through her teeth. _I know that I can do this!_ She completed her turn and sped up. She didn't even mentally acknowledge what she had done, instead just moving on to thinking about the upcoming turn.

Kozue watched in approval as she completed one turn, then another, then another. She smiled to herself and chuckled. "As long as it takes."

* * *

Misa pulled into the lot at 5:48 AM. Normally she would never get out of bed so early, but this was a special occasion. She needed to check on the status of Korosuke's secret weapons. She looked down in front of her to find three girls and one zombie in black and purple outfits asleep on the ground. She ignored them, walked her bike towards the track, and smiled at what she saw.

Kozue rode alongside Sakura as they rode in circles around the outside. "Come on! Keep your body low! See your arm?! Move it out! You can keep low and still use your prosthetic!"

Sakura slowly leaned down but kept her shoulder backwards. What resulted was a funky-looking biker looking like she was about to topple over.

"No, no, no!" Put your shoulder down! Move your arm towards me!"

She twisted her torso, pushing her shoulder down into the bike. Her prosthetic arm began to lose tension and as a result the throttle rotated back a bit.

"Now point your arm at me!"

She held her arm out at her, but her shoulder twisted back up.

"No! Both at the same time, damn it!" She looked up and saw Misa. "Oh! Nevermind, Misa's here! Let's take a quick break! I wanna see you do a drift into a stop!" She sped ahead.

Sakura held her head back up and gauged the distance between her and Misa. _Ok… now!_ She did a slight turn then twisted back the way she came, riding sideways over the asphalt to a stop. She looked up to find that she had undershot by a long shot. _Oh._ She shamefully turned off her bike and walked it over to where Misa was.

"Not bad, Sakura…" Misa smiled. "But you still have a long way to go." She turned to Kozue. "How's the other one?"

"Tae? She's fearless, but she's a chaser. She'll only follow."

"That's not such a bad thing…" she said, bringing a hand to her chin. "Can she do it on command?"

"No, she chases pieces of squid."

She laughed. "Seems she really is more dog than human." She turned to face both of them. "You're good for the day. Go home and rest." She turned to look at Tae and the other sleeping girls. "Tae, too."

"What about them?" Sakura asked, glancing at the other girls.

"They weren't supposed to fall asleep. I have something special in mind for them." She reached for her whip.

She gasped. _Is she going to whip them?! I should say something to make her stop!_ "They were awake most of the night!" she exclaimed. "They only fell asleep around half an hour ago!" That was a lie, but she didn't want to see her punish the girls for being human.

Misa turned to look at her. "Really? They did a lot better than I thought." She moved her hand away from her hip and waved it at her. "Anyways, you two can go. Be back here by eight tonight to pick up where you left off." She handed Sakura a key. "Here's my backup. Don't lose it. Park in the corner. Make sure you lock them up so they don't get stolen like the others."

"O-okay…" She walked her bike over to Tae and gently nudged her awake. "Tae-chan, it's time to go home."

"Gruauaugghh…" the sleepy girl moaned.

"I know, I'm sorry I woke you up, but we have to go before people start arriving to learn how to drive! Let's go."

She yawned and followed her to a bike. She sat down on its seat and rubbed her eyes. She grabbed the brake and let Sakura turn it on the rest of the way.

Sakura turned on her own bike and turned to face Misa and Kozue. "Alright! See you tonight!" She yelled with a smile. Then she took off, with Tae mimicking her every move perfectly.


	39. The Beginning

Saki rang the doorbell.

"Coming!" A deep voice yelled from inside. A moment later, Takeo opened the door. "Ah, Saki! Come in! Mas- Lily's just upstairs."

"Thanks, Takeo." She stepped inside and took off her boots and glasses. "We're getting our coats today, so we're probably gonna-"

"Saki-chan!" Lily shouted in excitement from the top of the stairs.

She looked up to see Lily, dressed in a blue t-shirt and long khaki shorts. "Hey, Shrimpy! How was your day off?"

She rushed down the stairs and hugged her. "It was great! Pappy went out and bought some makeup to make me look human! Then we went to Kouno Park together and he bought me this!" She reached into her pocket and produced a smartphone with a pink case and a steamroller charm.

"What's that?"

"It's a smartphone! You press this button and you touch the screen!" She pressed the power button and the screen lit up with a clock over a blue bubbly background.

Saki took the phone and tapped its screen. The device seemed to respond to this touch and changed from a clock into an array of different icons. "Whoa, cool!" She tapped one of the many icons and the screen swiftly transformed into a white screen that said 'Contacts' at the top, with only 'Pappy' listed under it. "This is awesome!" She beamed and handed the phone back to Lily. "Ai would be so jealous. She's got a regular phone."

"I know!" She put the phone back in her pocket. "Oh! I have to show you something! Come on, Saki-chan! You gotta see this!" She grabbed Saki's hand and led her down the hall excitedly.

"What?"

Lily threw open the door to the living room to reveal a massive flat screen TV. It had to be at least 2 meters across. "Pappy got us a new TV! It's really big and cool!"

Saki's jaw dropped. "W-wow, it's huge!" She walked up to it and looked at the back. _How can they manage a TV this big without it going way back? I don't get it!_ She turned back toward Lily. "It's so flat…"

"Yeah! It's cool, right?"

"That's so cool!" She sighed. "Well, we should get back to the others. We're supposed to meet up with Maria at three." Her gaze lowered to Lily's body and she put on a critical expression. "Is that what you're wearing?"

Lily looked down at herself. "What's wrong with it?"

"It kinda shows off a lot of green," she said, pointing to her exposed arms and legs. "Maybe you should put on something that covers all that a bit better, since we're going out in public."

"Oh. Okay." She led Saki out the door, down the hall, and up the stairs to her room. She opened the door, revealing a paradise of pink. The curtains, bedsheets, and even certain pieces of furniture were pink. On the floor there was a small table less than a foot off the ground as well as a pink heart-shaped cushion on either side of it. The walls were littered with various pictures of cute things and there were shelves upon shelves of cubbies, assumedly full of cute things. Lily turned and walked to the large, four-door closet built into the wall. "What do you think I should wear?" She pulled open the wardrobe.

"Whoa… seriously?" Saki muttered in awe as she saw the sheer volume of clothes she had. Everything was organized by color, from right to left and top to bottom. "Um, I don't know. Just… something that covers your arms and legs."

She pulled out a puffy blue sweatshirt. "Like this?"

"Yeah, whatever. As long as it covers your arms and legs. Oh, and bring two pairs of sunglasses. I'll be waiting outside." She walked out the door and closed it behind her. She leaned against the wall and crossed her arms. _Man, she's got it nice…_ her thoughts turned back to what Junko had said about living in the woods. She looked at the guest room she had slept in two nights prior and put her hand to her chin. _I wonder…_

A moment later, Lily exited her room, wearing the sweatshirt from before as well as some baggy beige pants. She handed Saki a pair of sunglasses that were too small for her head. "Ok, let's go!" She turned and walked down the stairs.

 _Jeez, that was fast…_ Saki chuckled to herself and put the glasses in her pocket. _These ones are going to Ai._ She followed Lily down the stairs and into the genkan. "Oh, wait! Do you have the money?"

"Oh yeah! Let me go ask Pappy!" She ran down the hall and disappeared around a corner. "Pappy! Can I have some money?" Her voice was distant, but loud enough so that Saki could understand it.

"Oh? How much?"

"Um… I dunno! Let me go ask!" She ran back around the corner. "How much?"

She put her hand to her chin. "Huh… probably 40 or 50 thousand. Depends on how expensive the boots are."

Lily disappeared back around the corner. "Fifty thousand!"

"Really?" he sighed. "You better spend it wisely. And bring back what you don't spend."

"Okay! Bye Pappy!"

"Bye, Lily. Be safe."

"Okay!" She reemerged from around the corner, holding a large stack of yen notes. "Let's go!"

"Right." Saki sat down and started putting on her boots. "What time is it?"

Lily checked her phone. "It's nine now. You said they'd meet us at three, right?" She put the money in her pocket and started putting on a pair of sneakers.

She stood up. "Yup! We've got time, but I told the others that I'd be back soon." She put her hand to her chin. "Maybe we can get some ice cream or something on the way there, though."

She stood up and gasped. "Really?!"

"Yeah." She reached for the door handle.

"Wait! Our glasses!"

She turned to her. "Oh yeah!" She took her regular size sunglasses out of her pocket, flicked them open, and put them on her face with one hand.

She laughed. "Saki-chan, you look like the hero in an action movie!"

She smiled wide. "Really?! Wait, what if I…" she took the glasses back off. She closed her eyes and looked to the side. Then she put the glasses on just as she had before, but she twisted her head slowly and gave Lily a menacing glare before doing so.

"Yeah! Like that!" Lily mimicked her actions, but it was a lot more cute when she did it. She crossed her arms and flicked her head upwards. "Hey, you. Gimme your car."

The two of them burst out laughing. They each took turns doing cheesy action poses to one another for a while.

Once both had calmed down, Saki opened the door. "Alright, now let's go."

* * *

Saki and Lily rode into the park with wide smiles on their faces. Lily still held her ice cream cone, but Saki had finished hers before getting back on the road. They pulled into the field and stopped next to a bright orange tent.

Ai was seated in the tent's doorway, rubbing a broken piece of glass on the end of a stick. She looked up. "Oh, hi."

"Hi, Ai-chan!" Lily hopped off the bike, taking care in keeping her ice cream affixed to the cone. She cocked her head and looked at the two sticks. "What're you doing?"

"I'm trying to whittle." She looked back down and continued to rub the glass on the stick.

"Oh, you're doing it wrong." She handed Saki her ice cream cone and sat down next to her. "First, you wanna make sure you do it away from you so you don't cut yourself."

"Oh, like this?" She started rubbing the glass in only one direction instead of doing it back and forth.

"Yeah, but you're still doing it a bit too soft… you gotta do it stronger! Here, let me show you." She took the stick and the glass out of Ai's hands and started doing it herself.

Saki looked around. "Where's Junko?" She asked.

Ai pointed south. "She went down to the bridge over there to try her hand at fishing." Her eyes were fixated on Lily's whittling technique. "Ohhhhhhhh…" She took the tools back and started whittling again, this time actually shaving off pieces of wood.

"Here." Saki handed Lily back her ice cream cone.

"Be careful not to get any in the tent. We don't want ants," Ai warned her.

"Okay!" Lily licked her ice cream happily.

"I'm gonna go see how Junko's doing," Saki said, climbing back onto her bike.

"Alright."

"Bye!"

Saki started her bike and sped back onto the main road. She turned south and followed the road until she reached the bridge, where she turned off her bike and walked it down to the riverside. "Junko? You here?"

"Saki? Is that you?"

She found Junko's bike parked next to the concrete pillar supporting the road and placed her own next to it. She then made her way under the bridge to find Junko sitting right on the edge holding a stick with a piece of rope tied to the end. "Hey."

"Hello, Saki-san."

She sat down next to her. "You excited to finally start doing biker stuff?"

She blinked. "Were we not already doing biker things?"

"Well, not really, no. We've mostly been hiding in the woods."

"Well, we've already been on quite the adventure." She smiled to herself. "I suppose the adventure is just beginning, though…"

"Yeah."

They both stared out into the water for a moment.

"I wonder what Sakura is doing right now," she whispered.

Saki shrugged. "Who knows? Maybe she gave up on finding us."

"I doubt it. Especially since you took her arm."

She perked up. "Oh crap! I forgot about that!" She sighed and leaned back. "We should throw that thing into the ocean or something."

"I think it would frustrate her more if she could feel us moving, but not be able to do anything about it. We should carry it around with us forever."

Saki laughed. "That's messed up, Marshmallow! I love it! Maybe we could hit it with a hammer or something, too."

She closed her eyes and laughed softly. "That's terrible. Do-" She interrupted her next sentence with a gasp.

"What?"

"I think I've got something…" she peered into the water. She waited patiently, then yanked her creation out of the water. Affixed to the end of the rope, there was a twisted branch with a small fish on the end. "Oh, it's so small…" She plucked the fish from the makeshift hook and gently tossed it back into the water.

Saki watched the fish swim out of sight. "You have any idea what time it is?"

"Sometime before noon," she replied.

She turned to her. "Huh? How can you tell?"

Junko pointed to the pillar in front of them. There was a triangle of light illuminating the structure stretching from its top left corner down to the water. "We're facing west, and the sun's light is visible on this side. So the sun must be more to the east. Therefore, it's reasonable to assume that it's before noon."

"Oh." She stretched her legs and stood up. "Well, we've got some time to kill, then. I think I'll go back and take a nap."

"Take care."

"Seeya." Saki walked out from under the bridge and brought her bike back up to the road. She hopped on and sped towards the campsite. When she arrived, she climbed off her bike and rolled it back into the woods out of sight. She turned to Ai and Lily, who were in the same place as they had been earlier.

"Welcome back, Saki-chan!" Lily smiled up at her.

She yawned. "Hi. You mind moving over for a sec? I think I'm gonna take a nap."

Ai frowned. "You just woke up two hours ago. How much sleep could you possibly need?"

"Never said I needed to. I just want to."

She rolled her eyes and scooted to the side, making a gap Saki could climb through to enter the tent.

"Thanks." She climbed in and laid down. She noticed the backpack in the corner of the tent and peeked inside. Sakura's arm laid limp. _See where idols got you,_ _dumbass?_ She snickered to herself then relaxed, staring up at the ceiling of the tent.

"Sweet dreams, Saki-chan!" Lily yelled in her face.

"Night, Shrimpy." She closed her eyes and drifted peacefully into sleep. _Things are finally… looking up… for…_ _us_ _…_

* * *

Saki only woke up once someone threw a piece of thick, heavy cloth in her face. "Gwuah!" She threw it off of herself and sat up. "What the hell, man?"

Maria stood outside the tent, staring down at her. "There's your jacket." She turned and walked away.

Her eyes shot open. "Seriously?!" She reached for the jacket she had tossed into the corner and inspected it. _Hmm, the kanji is a little small…_ She shrugged. _Whatever._ She tossed her bomber jacket off and slipped on the Dorami jacket, making sure to pop up the collar. She smiled and stepped out of the tent to find that everyone else had already replaced their outer wear with their jackets.

"Got everything you need out of the tent?" Ai asked. "We have to take it down."

"O-oh! Yeah!" She reached back into the tent and grabbed her bomber jacket. "Okay, the tent's empty." She walked away from the tent as Junko and Ai started disassembling it. "You guys need to pop your collars."

"Huh?" Ai looked up at her for a second then glanced down at her jacket. "Oh, okay." She reached a hand up and popped her collar.

She shoved her bomber jacket into her bike's storage compartment and turned to Maria. "You know where we're going?"

"Yeah, there's a place we can get stuff cheap across the river. We'll leave whenever your squad is ready. You're gonna be the authority on what our outfits look like since you know what they should look like."

"Alright." She turned to see Junko stuffing the tent back into its bag. "Whoa, that was fast…"

Ai and Lily each climbed onto their bikes and started their engines. Junko hurried and did the same, tossing the tent to Ai.

"You all ready?!" Saki yelled.

The Kamikaze Squad nodded.

She turned to Maria. "Let's ride."

* * *

"How're these ones?" Lily stepped out of the changing room with a black t-shirt, red pants, black steel-toed boots, and her jacket. Her hair was also tied back with a red ribbon. She made a deliberate effort to show off her boots.

Saki bit her thumb. _Hmmm… I dunno…_ "Let me see the other ones again?"

All six of the girls groaned.

"Come on, Saki! It doesn't have to match perfectly!" Ai yelled in frustration.

"We've been here forever…" Sayama moaned. "I'm so bored…"

"Well it's not my fault that our boots don't come in her size!" Saki yelled back.

"Why didn't you just choose the ones that DID have some in her size?" Maria piped in.

"Those weren't combat boots! Those were hiking boots! They're totally different!"

"Who cares?!" Lily moaned. "Let's just go with these ones! They're close enough!"

"Okay, let's take a vote," Ai said. "Who here thinks the boots she has on now are fine?"

Six hands went up.

"And who thinks they're not?"

Saki raised her hand. She realized that she was greatly outnumbered and frowned. "Alright, fine. Whatever." She put down her hand and turned to Lily. "Take those ones."

"Finally…" Lily whispered to herself, stepping back into the changing room to grab the extra pairs of boots she had carried there. She put them on the return desk. She ripped the tag out of the boots she was wearing and put them with the tags for her shirt, pants, and ribbons.

"Everyone got everything?" Ai asked, looking around. Everyone was wearing their new uniforms and they had all torn off the tags. "Alright." She walked out of the changing rooms, followed by the rest of Dorami.

"What are we gonna do after this?" Sayama asked.

 _After this?_ "Huh, I hadn't thought of that…" Saki said. "I should probably teach you guys how to claim turf and stuff." She brought her hand to her chin. "Come to think of it, I have to teach you guys a lot about being bikers. Though I guess you can learn through experience." She turned around and started walking backwards. "Alright, here's something. Each of you give me your staredown."

"Our what?" Maria asked.

"Y'know, like this." Saki shifted her head slightly and bared her teeth. Again, her aura changed to a more threatening one immediately. "Like that. Let me see it."

Each girl put on the most threatening face they had.

She pointed at Lily. "You look like you're just holding your breath." She pointed at Migikawa. "You look like you're just really confused." She pointed at Junko. "You look triumphant, not pissed." She pointed at Sayama. "You look like you were drinking something and someone knocked the straw out of your mouth." She pointed at Maria. "You just look like a cute kid being forced to smile on picture day."

Maria frowned. "I'm not cute!"

"Don't kid yourself. You're goddamn adorable." She turned back around and kept walking. "We'll have to work on that…"

"It feels like we've been waiting forever to actually be bikers," Ai said. "It's been almost a week since we jumped off that bridge."

She laughed. "You think a week is bad? It took two months for Reiko and I to scrape everything together to start Dorami." She stopped smiling as she thought about Reiko for the first time in days. She shook the thought out of her head. _I don't need her._

"Still! We've been just sitting around for so long. I can't wait to actually get started."

"Does that mean we can stop wearing these glasses?" Junko asked.

"What? You don't like them?"

"Well, I'd rather not wear them. They make my ears uncomfortable."

 _That's because I gave you the tiny ones…_ "Don't worry," Saki said. "We stop hiding the second we walk out those doors."

The seven of them walked up to the self-checkout and started scanning the tags they had collected silently. The only sound present was the beep of each tag sliding across.

Saki read the register. It said ¥33.412. "Oh wow, we're way under budget." She took the money from Lily's hands and started feeding it into the machine.

"I'm surprised you know how a self-checkout works," Maria said.

"I may be old, but I'm not an idiot." She continued to feed bills into the machine until the total reached zero. The machine spat out a few coins and a recipt. Saki handed them to Lily, who put it all in her pocket. "Alright, let's go."

The seven of them walked proudly out the door and into the sunlight. When they were out the doors, the four zombies stopped. One by one, each one took off their sunglasses and looked up towards the clear blue sky. "We're free," Junko whispered.

"No more hiding," Ai said.

"We did it, Saki-chan!" Lily bounced up and down and grabbed Saki's arm.

Saki smiled. "This is where the fun begins."

"You guys are so dramatic," Maria groaned. "Let's get going."


	40. The Mentorship

Saki rode quickly through Karatsu's streets. Her eyes darted from left to right, looking for teenagers to terrorize as a bit of a test for the humans. Finally, she spotted a group of three teenage boys hanging out in an alley between two stores. She braked immediately and turned around so she was stopped just past it. Lily, Ai, and Junko stopped next to her. She looked at Maria, who was a long distance behind her, and pointed towards the alley.

Maria nodded and stopped just outside the alleyway. Sayama and Migikawa pulled up right behind her. The three guys looked up from where they were squatting to find the extended shadows of Dorami's humans. Saki peeked around the corner to watch.

"You bastards…" Maria started, walking forwards into the alleyway. "The hell makes you think you can hang out in this alley?!"

"Who the hell are you?" One of them asked.

"Dorami, dumbass! This is Dorami turf! You wanna hang here, you gotta pay up!"

"Pay up? The hell are you talking about?"

"It's money to use our turf, dumbass! Now pay up!"

 _Don't use the same insult twice, idiot! That's so lame!_

He stood up. "Like hell we're giving you any money! I've never even heard of Dorami!"

"Tsk!" Maria gritted her teeth. "Then you got no idea who you're dealing with, buddy!"

 _Yeah! Give it to 'em!_ Saki beamed.

"Do YOU have any idea who YOU'RE dealing with?"

Migikawa and Sayama froze.

Maria kept walking towards them confidently. "Am I supposed to?"

He puffed up his chest and started walking towards her, meeting her halfway. "If you knew, you wouldn't have stopped." He shoved her. "You shouldn't've fucking messed with us."

"Don't fucking touch me!" She grabbed his arm and pulled him into a punch to the face.

Saki gasped in awe. _Nice use of the arm!_ _  
_

He staggered, but straightened back up. He stared at her for a second then also threw a punch to her face.

"Maria-chan!" The two humans yelled in unison as Maria fell into their arms.

"Shit!" Saki whispered aloud. She stood up.

Maria put her hand to her cheek where she had been punched, then wiped her nose. She looked down at her hand and saw blood.

"Who the hell do you think you are, kid?!" The guy now stood over her. "You should've known not to fuck with us!"

"Hey!" Saki yelled.

The dude looked up to see a pair of glowing red eyes. "What the hell?" He squinted in suspicion.

Saki marched down the alley, grabbed him by the throat, and dragged him down to her level. "What the hell makes you think you can hang here and then fucking hit my crew?!"

"Z-zombie!" he was petrified.

"That's right, dumbass! Now you better pay up before this zombie does something she regrets!" She opened her mouth and showed off her teeth by unhinging her jaw and breathing a rotten breath in his face. She released him.

He ran to the back wall of the alley, where his two friends were already squished up against one another. They all quickly fished into their wallets and threw all the cash they had at the ground. "J-just leave us alone!"

She put her jaw back in place, bent down, and picked up the money. "Dorami. Remember the name." She walked backwards down the alleyway, keeping her eyes on the three teens the whole time. She helped Maria up. "You did alright."

"What? No I didn't. I just got decked." Her cheek was swelling.

"Just follow me. I should have taught you how to fight first." She walked out into the street and climbed back onto her bike. She turned to see the others do the same. She silently turned her engine on and continued down the road.

* * *

The seven bikes were parked just outside a playground next to the river. Saki and Maria swung on the swings while the rest of Dorami just stood around aimlessly.

Migikawa walked back from the snack bar with a bag of ice. "Here you go, Maria-chan."

Maria grabbed it and held it to her cheek. She winced. "Damn… it's so cold." She swung back and forth on the swing slowly. "I really messed up back there."

"The hell are you talking about? You were doing great for a while."

"You still had to swoop in and finish the damn job…" she kicked a rock that was on the ground in front of her.

"Well, it was a test! I wouldn't-"

"And I failed the damn test! This whole time, I thought I was leading Dorami… but I don't fucking know anything about being a biker!" She threw the ice pack on the ground. "Shit…" she leaned down, picked it back up, and put it back on her cheek.

"You only failed because you messed up one thing. Messing up one thing isn't bad. I was actually impressed by how well you stood up to that dude before he threw the punch."

She stared silently at the ground.

"As a biker, you gotta be the better fighter. That's what you need to work on. Whether that be by getting better at using your body or learning a weapon, that's your choice. But it's important to be able to fight for those people who will fight back." She stood up. "Gimme a sec." She walked over to her bike, took the bomber jacket out, and walked back. "Gimme your hand."

Maria, confused, held out her right hand. "What are you…" she watched as Saki wrapped the jacket around her hand.

"Alright! Now." She took a step back and stood straight up. "Punch me."

There was a moment of silence.

"What the hell?"

"Come on! Punch me!" she commanded.

Maria looked around at the rest of Dorami, who were all staring. "Saki, I'm not gonna-"

"Just fucking punch me! You wanna die?!" she yelled.

She stared at her for a second, then shrugged. She wound up and slugged her across the face.

Saki's head revolved in a complete circle atop her neck before she put her hands up and stopped it manually. "Yup. See, you got your punch all weak. A good punch will knock the other dude out in one hit." She stepped to the side. "Do that again."

Maria swung a weak hook.

"Yeah, see, you're just using your arm. You gotta put your whole body into it. Twist, y'know?" She stood beside her. "Put yourself in a stance, like this." She slightly separated her feet.

She mimicked her pose. "Like this?"

"Yeah. Now you wanna twist to the right, like this." She twisted her torso.

Again, she copied her.

"Now, step into your punch. Twist as you throw it and you'll add way more power to it." She stepped forward and pushed her arm out at the same time.

She did the same.

"Alright." She stepped back in front of Maria. "Now, hit me again."

She sighed and got into a slight stance. She twisted, then stepped and threw her fist into Saki's face. To Maria's surprise, it was a genuinely strong hit.

To Saki's surprise, her head was now sailing through the air. "C-crap!" She yelled as she slammed into the side of a building and fell into a bush. She felt a few branches make their way into her skull.

"Saki!" There was a chorus of footsteps as Dorami quickly rushed to gather her head from the bush. Sayama found her and picked her up with two hands, but immediately dropped her. "Oh, gross!"

Saki fell back into the bush.

"Don't just drop her!" Ai yelled, plucking her from her shrubbery prison. She pulled the twigs out of her head and turned her towards Maria.

"Damn, that hurt…" Saki muttered under her breath.

"Damn, you alright?" Maria asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine. But you see how much better that punch was?" She smiled at her. "That's how you throw a punch." She attempted to look up at Ai. "Put me back on. You're all getting lessons tonight."


	41. The Thunderstorm

"Come on, Marshmallow!" Saki yelled. "Where's the power?! When you knee someone, you gotta make it hurt, damn it!"

Junko threw another knee into Saki's gut. "I really don't like doing this, Saki-san… I'd rather just have a weapon."

"Well, you gotta know at least a little hand-to-hand in case you're disarmed!" She threw her off of her. "You can't rely on your weapon for everything."

"I think we've learned enough…" Migikawa moped. "I'm already feeling super sore."

"I agree with her," Sayama seconded.

"I wanna go home, too!" Lily complained. "It's already nine o'clock!"

 _Seriously?_ Saki sighed and rolled her eyes. "Alright, we can be done for the night."

There was a resounding sigh of relief as the girls all stood up and shook out their arms and legs before dispersing. Lily walked up beside Saki. Ai and Junko stood nearby.

"Meet back here at eleven tomorrow!" Maria yelled as she climbed onto her bike.

Saki gave a thumbs up. "Alright!"

The zombies watched as the humans all sped off in different directions. Ai sighed. "Well, let's go get the tent set up somewhere." She started walking towards her bike.

"Hey, wait a second." Saki grabbed her on the shoulder. "Why don't we all go down to Shrimpy's place for the night?"

"Huh?"

Lily gasped. "Oh yeah! You haven't met Pappy! You gotta come with us!" Lily released Saki's arm and grabbed Ai's. She started bouncing up and down. "You should come spend the night at our house!"

"Besides," Saki said, "I think it's gonna rain tonight, and that tent looks pretty cheap." _And Junko doesn't want to sleep in the damn woods anymore…_

Ai looked up at the sky. It was overcast. Her eyes bulged open and she looked back down urgently. "Let's go!" She turned and bolted towards the bikes, dragging Lily along with her.

"W-whoa, wait up!" Saki yelled, running after them. _The hell's gotten into her?_

"Oh no," Junko whispered.

* * *

"Can't we go any faster?!" Ai shouted at Saki.

"We're almost there! It's just around the corner! Chill out!" she yelled back. She kept her eyes forward, navigating the streets of Saga. "We're already going way over the speed limit!"

"I know, but we need to get there, now!"

"You wanna die?!" she replied at as she took a sharp right turn on the wet road. She looked behind her to see Ai take the turn just as sharply as she did, with Junko and Lily a bit more cautious with theirs. _The hell is with her? No beginner should be doing crap like that when it's raining._ She shook her head and looked back forward. _She's gonna get herself hurt._

There was a loud clap of thunder. The sky illuminated with the white light of lighting.

"Ai-chan!" Lily and Junko screamed in unison.

Saki turned to see Ai tumbling to the ground. _God damn it. I knew it._ She turned her bike and drifted to a stop quickly. She stepped off and walked over to Ai, who was trembling on the ground with her eyes shut and her hands on either side of her head. "The hell was that?"

"Ai!" Junko ran up and knelt down next to her. She softly put her hands on her and whispered in her ear. "Shhh… it's okay."

 _Wait, something's wrong._ She immediately grew concerned. "What's going on?"

She looked up. "We need to get her to the house, now!" She yelled. She carefully lifted Ai's head off the ground. "Come on, let's get you inside."

Ai slowly rose to her feet, but kept her arms wrapped around Junko and shifted most of her weight onto her. She was hyperventilating.

"Where is it?!" Junko shouted. She slowly started walking Ai forward.

"Second one on the right!" Lily yelled.

Ai shuddered in the pounding rain. Her eyes were clenched shut.

 _What, does she have PTSD or something?  
_

"Saki, get our bikes!" Junko ordered.

"A-alright," she complied in confusion. _What the hell is going on?!_ She ran over to Ai's bike and stood it back up. She climbed on, drove it to the driveway, turned it off, and ran back.

Lily reached the porch and quickly opened the door for Ai and Junko. "Come on inside!"

Saki rode Junko's bike to the driveway and watched as the two of them made their way through the door. She ran back, grabbed her own, rode it the rest of the way to the house, and put the key in her pocket with the others. Then she ran inside.

Ai laid on the floor with her knees tucked into her chest. Her eyes were still clenched shut and she was dripping water everywhere. Junko was sitting next to her, softly running her hand down her bandaged face. Lily appeared from around the corner with a large blue towel and laid it on her. No one had even taken off their shoes. Takeo peered from around the corner silently.

Saki looked around in confusion. _What the hell just happened?_

* * *

Ai sat down on the couch softly, holding her cocoa with two hands. The towel from before was still wrapped around her shoulders.

Junko was seated next to her, rubbing her hand on her back.

She slowly took a sip from her cocoa and stared ahead.

Saki took a seat at the table. "Man, I don't know what the hell is going on…" she sighed.

"Language," Takeo said as he poured out more cocoa.

"S-sorry…" She put her elbow on the table and rested her head on her fist. She watched as Junko and Ai whispered to each other quietly.

Lily sat at the table across from Saki playing a game on her phone. She seemed to be impartial to what was going on. She looked up as Takeo placed a cup of hot cocoa before her. "Thank you, pappy!" She picked it up and took a long sip.

"Yo, Shrimpy. You know what's happening here?"

She looked up from her mug at her and shrugged. "Mmnhm," she hummed back. She finished her sip then went back to her phone.

She turned back towards the couch to see that Ai was nervously staring at her. She saw Junko whisper something in her ear.

Ai took a deep breath, put her cocoa down on the table, stood up, and walked around the couch. She stood in front of the table and looked between the two other zombies. She bit her lip.

Junko leaned across the couch and held her hand.

She took another deep breath. "About everything that just happened…" She squeezed Junko's hand tightly. "It has to do with how I died."

Lily looked up from her phone. Takeo turned away.

"I was struck by lightning while performing onstage." She squeezed her eyes shut. Tears appeared at her eyes' outer corners. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you sooner, I just…" She exhaled sharply through her teeth. "I don't know. I'm still not over it. It was only a week ago for me." She opened her eyes and sniffled. "Anyways, you deserve to know."

Saki stared at her for a moment. Of course, she already knew thanks to Google, but it was still somehow shocking to hear it from her. "That's so legendary…"

She looked down. "Yeah," she whispered.

Lily dropped out of her chair and hugged her.

"L-Lily? What are you doing?" she stammered out.

"It's okay, Ai-chan." She squeezed her tightly. "I'm here for you."

Junko released Ai's hand. She watched and smiled as Saki also rose out of her chair and joined in on the hug with a smile. She turned to Takeo, who had started peeking over his shoulder at what was going on. She stood up and walked over to him. "Hello, Go-san, I'm Junko Konno. I believe we got off on the wrong foot."


	42. The Home

Junko stared intently at the TV screen. "I thought Star Wars was over," she whispered. "That's Darth Vader?"

Lily nodded. "Yup! But he's called Anakin right now. He isn't Darth Vader until later."

The four of them watched as Anakin raced through a canyon in a futuristic but bootleg-looking vehicle, swerving around rocks as well as other racers.

 _Maybe now's a good time…_ Saki turned to Ai. "Is this part important?"

She turned to her with an indifferent face. "I don't think any of episode one is important."

"Good. I'm gonna be right back." She jumped over the back of the couch and walked out of the living room. She walked down the hallway and turned to her right to find Takeo in his office. "Hey, Takeo."

He looked up from his computer. "Ah, Saki! How can I help you?"

She shut the door behind her. "I… kinda have a favor to ask."

He turned his chair towards her. "Anything."

She licked her lips nervously. "Well, you know Ai and Junko…"

He nodded. "Yes."

"Well, they've really been through a lot. As you saw. And, well, uh, and I'm not super comfortable with them sleeping in a tent every night, so… I was wondering if you'd let them live here. Permanently. And we can pay rent or whatever, so it's not a big deal, but… y'know." She reached across her chest with one arm and grabbed the other in a show of uneasiness. "They kinda need a roof over their heads."

There was no hesitation in his reply. "Of course they can stay. All of you are welcome to stay here as long as you like. No rent is necessary."

Her eyes shot back open. "S-seriously?!" _All of us?! I was only asking about Junko and Ai!_

"Consider it a thank you for bringing back my precious Masao. Lily." He visibly winced at his own usage of the incorrect name. "I could never do enough to repay you."

"T-thanks," she said softly. _Damn, that was easy…_

"Although I only have one air mattress, so one of you will probably have to sleep on the couch until I get another."

"Oh, I don't think that'll be a problem. Ai and Junko are fine sleeping together."

He gave her a strange look, but seemed relieved to know he wouldn't have to spend any extra money on housing the zombies. "Alright. Let me get you the air mattress, then." He grunted as he stood up, towering over Saki.

She stepped aside to let him exit through the comparatively tiny door and followed him out into the main room. He opened a closet against the wall next to the couch.

"What's going on?" Ai asked.

"I'm getting Saki her bed," Takeo answered. He turned to face them for a moment. "Ai. Junko. You two are welcome to stay in the guest bedroom as long as you'd like."

Junko smiled. "Thank you, Go-san."

He smiled. "Of course! It's an honor to have you here." He turned back to the closet and reached for a small box near the floor. He pulled it out, revealing an air mattress with a pump built in attached to a remote. "Saki, where do you want this?"

"Put it in my room!" Lily cheered.

Saki turned to her with a raised eyebrow. _She wants me in her room?_

"Is that alright with you, Saki?"

"Uh, yeah. Thanks." She watched as Takeo stood up with the air mattress in one hand and a neatly folded pile of sheets in the other and walked out, leaving the squad alone.

"It's a slumber party, Saki-chan!" Lily bounced up and down on the couch.

Saki sat back down next to her. "Uh, yeah, I guess so."

"It was very kind of you to invite us here," Junko said with a smile. "Thank you."

She turned to her right and looked at Ai and Junko. "Yeah, no problem. You don't have to worry about that tent anymore."

Ai cocked her head. "Huh? What do you mean?"

"We're not just spending the night. This is our new home. Takeo said we could live here."

Her eyes shot open. "Seriously?!"

Lily gasped with excitement. "Really, Saki-chan?!" She stood up on the couch and started jumping up and down excitedly.

She turned to look at the child and smiled. "Really."

A wide smile had spread across Junko's face. "That's so kind of him," she said.

"I guess that's what he meant by staying as long as we want," Ai said, bringing her hand to her chin.

Lily jumped over the back of the couch. "Come on, Saki-chan! Let's go upstairs!"

"What about the movie?!" she yelled, pointing to the TV.

"Trust me, episode one isn't important! Actually, it's not even that good!" She ran out the door.

She turned and looked at Ai quizzically.

She shrugged. "She's right. It's not that great."

She rolled her eyes and followed the child out the door.

"You wanna go check out our room?" She heard Ai ask behind her.

"I don't see why not."

"Alright."

Saki followed Lily up the stairs to her room. It was the same pink eyesore it had been when she had seen it this morning, but Takeo had moved the table into the corner so he could inflate the air mattress and Lily was bouncing up and down on the bed.

Takeo was seated next to the air mattress with a small remote in his hand. "Ah, Saki." He handed her the remote. "Here. You can use this to fill it up." He stood up and walked past her out of the room.

"I'm so excited that you're living here now, Saki-chan!" Lily jumped off the bed and onto the half-inflated mattress. "We're gonna have so much fun!"

"Y-yeah." _Damn, she has so much energy!_

She ran to the closet and threw it open. She started pushing all her clothes to one side, leaving a large gap for Saki. "Here! Now you have room for all your clothes!"

"I don't have that many clothes aside from these ones," she said, looking down at herself. She was still wearing her Dorami uniform. Crap _, I left my jacket out in my bike._

"Still! I'm so happy to have you here! We'll be like sisters!"

 _Sisters?_ She stared down at the child silently. _Well, we are sharing a room… yeah, I guess it is sorta like that._

Lily walked up to her. "So, whaddya wanna do?"

She put her hand to her chin. "I dunno. Wanna go back downstairs and finish the movie?"

Ai appeared in the doorway of their room. "Saki, did you know there are bandages here? We can finally shower."

She turned. "Yeah, I know. I slept in that room Wednesday night."

"Oh, okay. Well, I'm gonna go shower, then." She disappeared into the hallway.

"Okay!" Lily said. She turned to Saki. "If you wanna watch the movie, that's fine, but episode one sucks."

"How can a Star Wars movie be bad?" she asked in confusion. "Star Wars is great!"

* * *

"Seriously?! They really thought it was a good idea to make Jar Jar into a general?! He did, like, one thing! And midi-chlorians? What the hell are they talking about?!" Saki gestured angrily at the TV.

"I don't think the Force needed to be explained so thoroughly," Junko agreed.

"Man, they ruined Star Wars," she moaned.

Lily wore a smug smile on her face that reeked of 'I told you so'.

The door swung open behind them and in walked Ai. The other three zombies turned to look at her.

"Oh, you're almost to the best part," she said. She walked around the couch and sat down between Junko and Lily. She had a fresh new set of bandages, but they were applied poorly on her face around her mouth. There was visible scarring where the bandages had been before. She noticed everyone staring at her and sighed. "I couldn't get them as good as Shades did around the mouth without sealing it off. It's hard. I don't know how he did it." She held up her hand. "I think I did a good job everywhere else, though." She looked back up at the TV. "Ooh! Look! Here it is!" She pointed excitedly.

Saki and Junko turned just in time to see the reveal of a red-skinned Sith.

"Whoa…" Saki whispered.

"Who's that?" Junko asked.

"Darth Maul," Ai replied. "This is the best fight in all of Star Wars."

Saki watched with awe as the scene unfolded before her very eyes. She leaned forward and intertwined her fingers. _Holy crap… look at him!_ She watched in silence as the fight began with a chase sequence. Her thoughts were filled with intense hype for the battle on screen.

Junko leaned forward with her and watched the choreography with similar wonder in her eyes.

Ai leaned back and watched with significantly less interest. "It's pretty rare to find someone who hasn't seen Star Wars," she whispered to Lily.

"I like watching it with them, even though I've seen it before," she whispered back. "It's great to watch stuff with someone… it's more fun to laugh and cry when someone is there with you."

Saki and Junko gasped in unison as Obi-Wan fell off the bridge the fight was happening on.

"Well, they seem quite invested. I guess this is a pretty good bonding activity." She looked at Junko and smiled. She took a deep, satisfied breath. "It really does feel like we're finally somewhere."

"What do you mean?"

Ai paused and thought about what she meant for a second. "This whole time, I was so nervous, thinking that being bikers wouldn't work out… I was still thinking about what I left behind when I died." She paused briefly then turned to Lily. "But now, I'm thinking about what I have now. I have a home, I have friends, and I have a purpose. I'm not worried anymore. We're finally here. And I'm happy."

Lily smiled and turned back to the TV. "I'm happy, too."

* * *

"The hell do you think you're doing, you stupid zombie?!" Kozue yelled. "I wanna see you drift! The hell was that?!"

Sakura gritted her teeth. _How am I supposed to do that? It's such a sharp turn…_

"Don't just sit there! Do it again! Keep going until you can do it five times in a row!"

She wiped the sweat from her brow and rolled her bike out of the grass. She looked back at the 120-degree turn she was supposed to go around. _This is so hard… but I have to do it!_ With fierce determination, she climbed back onto her bike and sped around to attempt the turn again. She pulled the throttle and thrust herself forward, immediately leaning into a drift. She drifted straight ahead and started pulling the throttle as she approached the end of the road. _Come on, come on!_ The bike didn't stop and it rode off the edge of the track again into the grass.

"You're taking it too fast! You gotta slow down when the opening is that small!" She shook her head. "If you're chasing Saki and she turns into an alleyway, are you just gonna slide past and let her get away?!"

Sakura bit her lip. _That's why I'm doing this! To bring them back home!_ She sped out of the grass and to the entrance of the track again. She stared at the curve and pictured Saki giving her a taunting glare while riding around it perfectly. She took a deep breath. _I won't let them get away!_ She twisted her throttle back until she felt she was at the perfect speed, then completely released it. She began her drift and started to pull the throttle as she approached the turn. Her bike stopped just in time and she completed the drift without going into the grass. She rode back out onto the main track and looked in the mirror at the turn she had completed.

"There you go! That's how it's fucking done!"

She stopped right next to Kozue and stepped off her bike. She looked up with her teeth bared. "I won't let them get away from me! I'm gonna take them down and bring them back!"

"Grrruaghhrhh!" Tae yelled from the sidelines.

Kozue smiled. "Damn, you really wanna capture them, huh?"

"It's our responsibility to be idols! And they ran from that!" She sat back down on her bike and revved the engine. "And I'm gonna bring them back."


	43. The Hostage

Misa rode into the lot at 5:43 AM. She yawned and stepped off her bike. She peered onto the track and saw a line of bikes quickly drifting and turning with reckless abandon. She smiled to herself and yelled. "Hey, Kozue!"

Kozue looked up and nodded. She gave a hand signal to the bikes behind her and rode off the track as the other two bikes passed her. She drifted to a stop in front of Misa, turned off her engine, and stepped off her bike. "How's it going, boss?"

"I'm fine, thanks. Perhaps a bit tired." She stared out onto the track. "It looks like you finally got through to her."

"No, not really. I just found a way to get her what we want her to do."

Misa raised an eyebrow. "Oh? What's that?"

"She'll do anything you ask if you make those Dorami bitches part of the incentive," she explained. "Once you remind her of that Saki bitch, she'll do just about anything."

"Is that so?" Misa asked. "I'd like a demonstration."

"Alright." Kozue turned and gave another hand signal to the two drivers as they passed the outer loop. She watched as the two girls rode up and skidded to a stop mere feet away.

"Misa-san!" Sakura unwrapped her sleeve and greeted her warmly. "How are you?"

"I'm fine," Misa replied coldly. She glanced at Kozue and gave a knowing nod.

"Hey, Sakura, can you do a headstand?" Kozue asked.

"H-huh? A headstand?" Sakura put her hand to her chin. "I don't know…"

"Well, you're gonna have to be able to in order to catch the bridge girls."

Her eyes shot open. "R-really?! Well, here goes…" she bent over and put her head on the ground, using her arm to support her body. Next, she lifted her legs off the ground and over her head. "There! See? I can do it!"

Misa smiled wide. "Nice find," she whispered into Kozue's ear.

Sakura put her feet back on the ground and stood back up. "How will that help finding them?" She asked.

"Oh, uh, you've gotta be able to go upside down when you… do flips," Kozue quickly explained.

"Really?" She put her hand to her chin. "Okay…" She looked back at Misa. "Are we done for today?"

"Yes, you're free to go," Misa replied. "Get some rest for tonight. I presume your lessons will become only more and more difficult as you get better."

"Okay." She climbed back onto her bike and tied her sleeve back onto her throttle. "Come on, Tae-chan." She rode off, followed shortly by the other zombie.

Misa watched the two disappear down the road and turned back to Kozue. "And how's Tae?"

"She's like a hunting dog without the nose. She's picking up commands pretty quickly."

She smiled. "Excellent. How soon do you think they'll be ready?"

"Within a week."

* * *

Saki woke up when she was launched a foot into the air unexpectedly. "Gwoaohhah!" She flailed her arms and legs wildly through the air before landing back on the air mattress. "What the hell?!"

"Oops, sorry, Saki-chan!" Lily said. "I forgot you were here." She stepped off of the air mattress, which she had apparently jumped onto.

She sat up and rubbed her eyes. "That's fine, Shrimpy. What time is it?"

"8:30." She opened the door to the room and walked down the hall, leaving Saki alone.

Saki yawned and stretched. She looked around at her pink surroundings and took a deep breath. _Man, I'm glad everything worked out._ She sat in bed for another moment, feeling the ground beneath the air mattress. _The hell? I thought I inflated it…_ she rolled over and grabbed the remote. _Did this thing lose air overnight or something?_ She started inspecting it.

Lily walked back into the room and carefully made her way around the mattress to the nightstand where her phone lay. She picked it up and put it in her pocket. "I'm gonna go wake up Ai and Junko," she announced.

"Alright." She pressed the inflate button on the remote, but quickly released it due to how loud the air pump was. "Crap! That's so loud!"

"Why are you inflating it? It's just gonna lose more air by tonight."

"Huh? Is it supposed to do that?"

She shrugged. "I dunno. That's just how air mattresses work." She walked out of her room and down the hall. "Ai-chan! Junko-chan! Time to wake up!"

Saki dropped the remote and stood up, following Lily down the hall. She stood behind her and together they peered through the door to Ai and Junko's room.

Ai was the first to get up. She propped herself up on one arm and rubbed her eyes with the other. "Is it morning already?" She opened her eyes and looked towards the window. "Oh." She gently nudged the girl sleeping next to her. "Junko, it's morning. Time to get up." She rolled out of bed and walked into the bathroom, shutting the door behind her.

Junko rolled to face the ceiling and sat straight up. She put a hand to her mouth as she yawned, then she turned her head towards the door. "Good morning, you two."

"Morning." Saki walked in with her hands behind her head. She stood in the corner across from the bed. "How'd you sleep?"

She smiled softly. "It was very nice. And you?"

"I slept alright, I guess. The air mattress deflated during the night, so I woke up on the ground." She put her hand to her chin. "Wait, no. I woke up in the air because Shrimpy here launched me when she jumped onto it."

She laughed. "I'd never heard of an air mattress before last night. It looked interesting."

"I'd never slept on one. It was weird. It felt like I was sinking into the ground the whole time…" she sighed.

"Pappy used to bring that one with us when we were working far away," Lily explained. "He was always too big for the hotel beds, so he had to bring his own."

"Really?" she asked. "I guess that makes sense…"

Ai emerged from the bathroom and walked over to the nightstand next to the bed. She picked up her phone and flipped it open.

"So, it's 8:30 right now, and we don't have to meet Maria until 11, so we've got some time to chill before we get going," Saki said. "Probably not enough time to watch episode two, though."

Ai turned. "Did you like episode one?"

"Well, it kinda lost me during the first part, but once it got to the fight against Darth Maul it got good again."

"I enjoyed it," Junko answered. "Though the story was somewhat confusing."

"Yeah, the story was weird. But the fighting was great!" Saki said.

"You'll probably like the other two a lot more." Ai looked back down at her phone.

"There's actually five more!" Lily piped up.

Ai looked back up with a confused look on her face. "Huh? Five?"

She nodded. "I looked it up last night, and they made episodes seven and eight plus another one! And another one is coming out in May!"

"Is all this really necessary?" Junko asked. "I thought that it was fine as just three movies. I don't understand."

Ai shrugged. "They probably make them a ton of money, so they keep making them." She looked back down at her phone and pressed some buttons. Her eyebrows lowered as she read a message. "Saki."

"What?" she asked.

"Come look at this."

Saki walked over and read the message on Ai's screen aloud. "My mom is being a bitch and she stole my keys. She won't give them back until she talks with…" her voice trailed off as she read the last few words of the message. She stared at the phone silently.

"Saki?" Ai asked. "Are you alright?"

"Damn it…" She turned to the others. "You guys enjoy your morning. I've got crap to take care of." She stormed out of the room and slammed the door behind her. _Damn it, Reiko! What now?!  
_


	44. The Concession

Saki stopped her bike at the bottom of the house's stairs and climbed off with a huff. She looked to the top of the stairs and saw Maria, whose cheek was still swollen from the punch she had received the day before.

"There you are! That stupid bitch snuck into my room while I was sleeping and hid my keys somewhere!" Maria shouted. "Saying I'm not going anywhere until she talks to you, damn it!"

She climbed up the stairs with an annoyed look on her face. _Ugh, can't believe I'm doing this._ She pushed Maria to the side. "Move." She turned and walked up to the door with Maria behind her and threw it open. She stormed into the house, not bothering to take off her boots. She threw open the door at the end of the hallway to find a pissed Reiko sitting at the table.

"Alright! Saki's here! Now where are my damn keys?!" Maria yelled.

She stared at Reiko silently. Part of her was glad to see her again, but she had to keep a straight face.

Reiko's eyes pierced into her. "Saki."

She stared back. "Reiko."

She crossed her arms. "What on Earth do you think you're doing with my daughter?"

"I'm getting her bike back. The bike that you stole." _Duh._

She shook her head. "You're wearing matching outfits! And look at her face!" She pointed at Maria's swollen cheek. "You're getting her into trouble!"

Saki shrugged. "A little trouble never hurt anyone. You of all people should know that."

Reiko turned to Maria. "Maria! This girl is dangerous! Please, you can't listen to her!"

"Shut up, you stupid bitch! It's none of your damn business! Gimme back my bike!" she shouted.

"She's a terrible influence! I was worried enough about Dorami when you first joined, but now it's gone too far!"

"Saki is what you should have been, you coward!" There was pain in her voice.

"Yeah, the hell happened to you, Reiko?! You used to be so much cooler!" Saki yelled.

Reiko turned back to Saki angrily. "You need to leave my family alone! I don't want her turning out like you!"

"What, badass?"

"Dead!" Reiko practically screamed. She stood up in her chair with tears in her eyes. "I already lost one to Dorami! I can't lose another!"

She rolled her eyes. "She's not gonna die! No one's stupid enough to do what I did again!"

"You don't understand! She isn't like you! She isn't strong enough to take care of herself!"

"I know that! Why the hell do you think I'm teaching her?!"

Reiko hesitated for a moment, but soon grew even more frustrated. "You need to leave my daughter alone!"

Saki gritted her teeth. "I left you alone, and look what happened!"

She took a sharp breath through her teeth then stepped out from around the table. She dropped to her knees. "Please, put a stop to this, Saki… I already lost you. I couldn't live with myself if I lost her, too."

"How pathetic are you gonna get?!" Maria shouted. "I am never gonna be like you!" She wrapped her arm around Saki. "I'd rather die!"

 _You'd rather die…?_ Saki brushed Maria's arm off her shoulders and exhaled strongly. _Damn it… you stupid kid._ "No. You wouldn't."

Reiko looked up.

"Huh?" Maria said, taking a step back.

Saki put her hands on her shoulders and stared into her eyes. "Dying is the worst thing to ever happen to me. Ever."

She blinked. "W-what?"

"I left everything behind. I lost everything!" She yelled in Maria's face. "I lost my bike! I lost my crew! I lost my-" She paused and looked down at Reiko, then back to Maria. "You know what? Her wanting you to not die isn't so damn unreasonable."

Reiko stared up at her. "Saki…"

She gritted her teeth. _Don't talk to me, bitch! I'm still pissed at you!_ "You've got a good mom. Even if she's a terrible friend, she's a good mom. Better than what she had. I'm not gonna let you hurt yourself because of some petty bullshit the two of you have going on." She turned to Reiko. "I'll keep her out of trouble."

"W-what?!" Maria stuttered out. "I thought you…"

She turned back to her. "You can be a good boss without getting hurt. Just trust me."

She just stared at her with a confused glare. "Why are you doing what she wants?" She asked.

Saki didn't answer. She wasn't totally sure herself. Perhaps she thought Maria was too dumb to take care of herself because of her death comment? She silently dismissed the thought as it was stupid. Maybe she still cared what Reiko thought? She had much more trouble shaking that one.

Reiko stood up. "How do I know that you're not just lying to get her bike back?!"

She glared at her for a second, but failed to think of a reason. She brought her hand to her chin. "Huh, I dunno." She shrugged. "Trust me?"

She stared into the zombie's eyes for a long moment. She sighed. "I can't believe I'm doing this." She reached into her pocket and produced a key.

Saki gave Maria a disappointed look. "You didn't check her pockets? Really?"

Maria swiped the key from her mother's hand and put it in her own pocket. She stormed out the door, leaving Saki and Reiko alone.

The two stared at each other for a long moment. "Is this what you meant by normal?" Saki asked.

"Yes."

She looked around the furnished room she was standing in. "I can't believe you actually did this. Feels like I'm-"

"And I can't believe you just went and died! That was so irresponsible!"

Saki groaned. "Everything just has to be about how I died with you, huh?! Why can't you just shut up about it for ten seconds?!"

"You left my life for twenty-one years, and now you just want to walk back in like nothing happened?! You have no idea how much it hurt when you died!"

She rolled her eyes. "Whatever, man." She opened the door. "Let me know when you're over it." She walked down the hall and out the front door, feeling Reiko's piercing stare on the back of her head.

Maria was waiting for her outside. "What'd she say?" she asked.

"Doesn't matter." She walked down the stairs to her bike. "How long until we're all supposed to meet up?"

"An hour and a half."

She groaned and climbed back onto her bike. "I'll see you then." She sped off, leaving a cloud of dust behind her.


	45. The Two Cowards

Saki sat on the swings at the empty park they had trained at the day before, staring down at the ground. _The hell did I agree to that for?_ She thought to herself silently. She had been pondering for a long time.

"Hey, what's a punk like you doing in a park like this one? You in a gang?" a voice asked.

 _The hell? Do I know this voice?_

"You wanna get arrested? I can arrest you, y'know!"

 _Wait, that's the damn cop!_ She looked up at the police officer walking her way and gave her typical threatening glare. "Huh?"

He stopped mid-step and froze. Then he fell backwards and landed on his ass. "A-another one!"

Saki stood up, rubbed her temples, and started walking towards him. "Damn it, man, you got a problem or something?"

He pulled out his gun and pointed it at her. "S-stay back, zombie!"

Her eyes bulged open at the sight of the gun and she grew inexplicably angry. She smacked the pistol out of his hand and it flew across the ground into a bush. "Get that thing out of my face, you COWARD! You don't know who you're messing with, you stupid cop!"

He trembled beneath her. "D-don't come any closer! Get away from me!" He wrapped his arms around his head.

She spit in his face. "Pathetic!" She turned and walked back to the swing set slowly, ensuring that he got a good eyeful of her jacket's kanji. _This oughta spread the word._

He scrambled to his feet and ran away while making miscellaneous mouth noises. He climbed onto his bike and pedaled like the wind.

She sat back down on the swing and let out a happy sigh. _Damn, that was fun. Even if he was only scared because I'm a zombie._ Her smile didn't last long, and soon she found herself staring back down at the ground. _But that still doesn't take my mind off things…_ Suddenly, the sound of engines leisurely purring filled her ears. Saki looked up just in time to see Sayama and Migikawa arrive at the park and turn off their scooters. _Oh, it's them._

Migikawa stepped off her scooter. "Hi, Saki-san. You're early."

 _So are you, dumbass._ She weakly held up a hand to greet them back.

Migikawa and Sayama glanced at each other then walked over to where she was. "Saki-san, is something wrong?" Sayama asked.

"Nothing. Nothing's wrong," she lied. _The hell do you care?_ She looked away.

Migikawa sighed. "I bet it has to do with Maria-chan's mom," she whispered to Sayama.

She turned back towards them angrily. "Don't fucking whisper about me behind my back! You think I'm fucking stupid?!"

"S-sorry…"

 _Hm, might as well ask now, while no one else is here…_ She squinted. "How the hell did you two get into Dorami?"

"Huh?"

"You're super nervous and jumpy. How the hell did you get into Dorami? You got some secret guts you're hiding or something?"

"W-well, not exactly…"

She pointed to Sayama. "You too. You're both wimps. How the hell did you get in?"

"W-well, M-Maria-c-chan-" she stuttered out.

 _Damn it, stop stuttering, bitch!_ She stood up and cut her off. "You gonna stutter all day? Where's your guts?! I only got respect for people with guts!"

"W-w-we-w…" Sayama failed to say anything. She hid behind Migikawa.

 _What the hell? These two are nothing!_ "How the hell are you gonna be bikers if you can't fucking say anything, huh?!" She threw up her hands in frustration. "Maria's the only one of you who's got guts! What are you without her, huh?!"

Both of them trembled before her silently.

Saki rubbed her temples. "Damn it…" She turned back to the swing set and sat back down. _Training these two is gonna be super annoying… Wait, do I even know their names?_ The sound of motorcycle engines filled the air. She turned to see Ai, Junko, and Lily pull into the park and turn off their engines. _Oh, good. People I can tolerate._

"Where's Maria?" Ai asked.

Saki shrugged. "Hell if I know."

"Did you get her bike back?"

"Yeah."

She flipped open her phone. "Well, it's almost eleven. She should be here soon."

Migikawa and Sayama walked over to Junko and started talking with her quietly.

"How was your morning?" Saki asked.

"It was pretty uneventful," Ai replied. "We just watched a little TV."

"There's a lot of western shows on TV now," Lily pointed out. "Everything looks super American! You can tell."

"Really?" Saki asked. "I didn't really watch a lot of TV growing up. I wouldn't know."

"Well, she did that to me, too," Junko said not so quietly to the two humans. "What did you do?"

Saki lowered her eyebrows at Migikawa and Sayama. _Are they… complaining about me? To Junko? Seriously? The hell is with them?! I'm right here!_

"Did you know they're still making Gundam shows?" Lily asked. "I thought they stopped, but I saw an ad for a new one coming out next month!"

She turned her head back to Lily. "Huh? Sorry, whatcha say? I wasn't listening."

Ai looked where Saki had been staring moments before, then back to her. "What'd you say to them?"

She crossed her arms behind her head. "I asked for their guts. You know, like I did with Marshmallow. They didn't really take it as well, though."

"She's actually really nice once you get to know her," Junko told the two girls, still failing to whisper like they were. "You just have to get on her good side, which usually means proving to her that you have guts, as she calls it."

Saki smiled bashfully. _Aw, don't say that…_

"I have noticed that they're easily scared," Ai said, bringing a hand to her chin. "I guess that's not great for bikers." She turned to look at the humans.

"Well, you three were all pinned against the wall when we woke up," Saki pointed out. "Getting scared isn't the issue. It's guts. You all have guts! But with these two, I don't-"

"Well, Lily-chan actually gave us a lot of inside info about Sakura's investigation before she joined us, remember?" Junko replied.

Lily glared at Migikawa and Sayama. "What are they saying about me…?"

 _Are they disrespecting Shrimpy? The hell's their problem?_

The three zombies glared at the two humans. It wasn't long before Sayama noticed and stopped mid-sentence. Junko turned to look at her fellow zombies.

"What are you talking about?" Ai asked, crossing her arms.

"N-nothing!" Migikawa said, waving her hands in front of her wildly.

Lily pouted. "That's not true! You just said my name!"

"W-w-well, we, we did, but-"

"Man, quit stuttering! Just spit it out!" Saki yelled.

"I… I don't…"

Just then, a scooter pulled up to the park and stopped abruptly. Maria stepped off her bike. "Sorry, traffic was hell." She looked up to see Sayama and Migikawa clinging onto one another. "The hell's going on here?"

"Maria-chan!" Sayama yelled. The two of them sprinted towards her and hid behind her.

"What the hell? Whaddya think you're doing?!" She turned to face the trembling girls.

"That Saki-san… she's so scary…" Sayama whimpered.

"Maria-chan, I don't think I can do this anymore…" Migikawa shuddered.

 _Oh, so now they wanna quit just 'cause I yelled at them once? Figures. I should've known they didn't have what it takes._

"The hell? What happened to you?!" Maria yelled. She turned to Saki. "What'd you do?!"

"I asked to see their guts!" She yelled. "It's not my fault they started fucking crying!"

She took a sharp breath through her teeth and looked back at the girls behind her. "Seriously? That's what you're scared about?"

"I gave Marshmallow the same test, and she did fine!" She yelled to Maria's back.

"Cram it! I know!" She looked down at her human friends, then back at Saki. "Give us a moment. Alone."

The zombies all looked at each other. Saki shrugged. They all climbed onto their bikes.

"Text me when you're done," Ai said.

Maria watched silently as the four zombies sped off. Migikawa and Sayama circled around her to ensure that she was between them and the zombies.

Saki looked at them in her mirror. "Tsk!" _Girls like them seriously piss me off_ …


	46. The Lost Opportunity

"Hey! Sakura!" There was a loud banging and an adult man's voice. "Open up!"

Sakura's eyes shot open. She rolled off the couch and scrambled to her feet, looking around in a panic. _What was that?!_

Tae rolled over and growled quietly in her sleep.

"Sakura! Are you there?"

She realized that the sound was coming from the door. _Oh, I wonder who that is!_ She walked over to it and pulled it open. She shielded her eyes from the light with her arm as they adjusted to how bright it was outside then looked up. "O-oh! Okoba-san!"

"Hey. I figured you'd need this." Shinta handed her another phone charger. "You know, you should probably look through the peephole before you open the door. You never know who it could be."

"Oh, thanks!" She took the charger and plugged it into the wall. _Wait a second…_ She turned back towards him. "Wait, how did you know where I was?" She turned back to him.

"How's your training going?" He asked, casually strolling into the apartment.

"H-hold on! You didn't answer my question! And you can't be in here!" She stood up and pressed her hand against his chest to keep him from walking in.

"Hey, what's this?" He looked down at her, confused.

"Are you even listening to me?!" She shouted.

There was a loud banging from beneath the floor. "Keep it down!" A man yelled through the floor.

"S-sorry!" she shouted back. She looked back up at Shinta. "You can't be in here! This is Misa's apartment!"

"This is Misa's place, huh?" He looked around the drab apartment. "Interesting."

She pushed him back out the door. "Okoba-san! How did you know I was here?!"

He gave her a blank stare. "Your phone."

"Huh? My phone?" She looked back to the table where she had left it.

"There's a tracker in there that tells me where you are. How do you think I picked you up on Thursday?"

 _That's how he knew I'd left the house that day!_ She pouted. "Why didn't you tell me about this?"

"You didn't need to know." He crossed his arms. "Now, how's your training going?"

"H-hold on! Don't just try to pass this off like it's nothing!"

"It's really not that important…" He sighed and rubbed one of his temples with his hand. "It's not like I'm gonna publish any of this."

"I guess so…" She looked down.

"Now." He paused to see if she was going to interrupt her again then finished his question. "How's your training going?"

"It's good…"

"You know, I met Koutarou and Yuugiri for the first time the other day."

Sakura's eyes shot open and she looked back up. "Huh?!"

"Yeah, they reached out to me to find you late at night a couple days ago. They ended up giving me a lot of money to know where you were."

"What?!" _That's how they knew where we were!_ "Why didn't you tell me?!"

"I just did. Now, about Korosuke…" He took his notepad out of his pocket and quickly flipped through it.

She breathed sharply through her teeth. "H-hold on a second! You sold information about us?!"

He looked up for a second. "I did."

"Then why should I trust you at all?! Why should I tell you anything?!"

Tae sat up in the corner. "Gruuhgh?"

"Because if you don't, I won't tell you anything, either."

She clenched her fists. "Why do I need to hear what you have to say?! I don't need you anymore!" She reached for the door and started slamming it shut.

Shinta's eyes shot open. "Sakura, wait!" He jammed his hand in the door as it was closing. "Ow!"

She continued to push on the door. "I don't need you lying to me! If you wanna be a part of this, you need to start telling me the truth!"

There was a long pause. Finally, he spoke. "I can't do that."

"Then you can go away!" She swung her arm towards his hand.

Tae watched as Sakura's sleeve thwapped against his hand.

"What was that?"

 _Ugh!_ She groaned and punched with the other hand.

"Ow!" He released his hand for a moment and instinctively pulled it back, giving Sakura enough time to close and lock the door. "W-wait! Sakura! You're making a mistake!"

"The only mistake I made was keeping you around as long as I did!" She turned and laid back down on the couch.

Someone banged through the floor again. "Keep it down! Seriously!"

Sakura groaned. _Why does no one trust me?_ She stared up at the ceiling. _At least I have Tae, I guess…_ She closed her eyes.

"Sakura! Seriously! You need me!"

She frowned. _Go away!_

"Sakura! Sakura! I know you're in there!"

She groaned, opened her eyes, stood up, and walked over to the door. This time, she took Shinta's advice and looked through the peephole at the panicking journalist. "Go away!"

"Sakura! Come on! Just talk to me!"

"Why, so you can lie to me again?! Do you think I'm stupid?!"

"Well, it's not like I can tell you the truth all the time!"

"Why not?!"

"You're not ready to hear the truth!"

"Ugh! Just go away!" She turned and walked back to the couch. _That's exactly what Koutarou-san said…_ She breathed sharply through her teeth as she laid back down. _I'm not gonna let people use me anymore!_

"Damn it…" Shinta said to himself from the other side of the door. "Now what am I gonna do?"

 _Who cares what you do?_ She stared angrily at the ceiling. _I don't._

* * *

Koutarou downed another shot and immediately began to pour himself another.

"Now, Koutarou, it's the middle of the day. You shouldn't be drinking like this."

"How could I not? She's out doing who knows what, and Okoba is the only connection I have to her anymore." He put the glass to his mouth and swallowed again.

"It would likely be better for you if you had no knowledge of what she was doing, would it not?"

He shook his head. "I have to know what she's doing." He began to pour himself another shot. "I just can't believe that I have to pay the press to give me updates. We're lucky that Shinta was willing to offer his services."

Yuugiri watched as he put the glass to his mouth again. "You're drinking too fast."

Koutarou's phone started ringing. He quickly pulled it out of his pocket and answered the call. He cleared his throat before answering. "Hello?"

"Hey, it's Okoba. We've got a problem."


	47. The Dismissal

Saki sighed. "Man, they're taking forever…" She stretched out her legs and laid down, using her arms as a pillow. She stared up at the bottom of the train bridge. "I'm so bored." She put her hand to her chin. "I should get another Tamagotchi…"

"Here, Saki-chan, watch this!" Lily laid down next to her and held her smartphone above her head so Saki could see it. There was a video of a teenager running towards a massive metal fan that was blowing him backwards.

"What's this?" Saki took the phone from her and tapped the screen, revealing a pause button and a progress bar.

"It's YouTube!" She smiled. "Didn't you have YouTube when you were alive, Saki-chan?"

"YouTube didn't come out until the mid-2000s," Ai pointed out.

"Lame."

"Wait, I don't get it. Who's that?" Saki asked. She pointed to the kid on screen.

"Sushi Ramen! He's really popular and he does a lot of funny stuff!"

"Sushi Ramen? That's his name?"

"No, but that's his name on YouTube."

She stared at the child. "I don't get any of this."

"I'll explain it to you later," Ai sighed. She flipped open her phone. "Still no word from Maria." She turned back to Saki. "Do you think they'll actually quit?"

"If they want to, they will," she said as she watched the video in awe. _How the hell can a computer this small do this?_ She watched as the kid flew backwards and fell on his ass. She started cracking up. "Hahahaha! Look at this dude!"

"Wait, let me see!" Lily yanked the phone out of her hands and tapped the left side of the screen twice, instantly rewinding ten seconds. She laughed as well as she saw the boy get knocked off his feet by the fan.

Suddenly, Ai's phone vibrated. She picked it up out of her pocket and flipped it open.

"Is it Maria?!" Saki asked.

She nodded. "Yeah. She wants to know where we are." She started typing. Her fingers rapidly jumped from button to button to type out a short message.

"Wow, you're getting very good at typing, Ai," Junko complimented her.

"Thanks. I've been doing it a lot recently. More than I probably ever did while I was alive." She finished typing her message, sent it, and put the phone back in her pocket.

Saki turned her attention back to the video to see the same kid from before now standing inside a giant balloon. "What the hell?" She watched in silent confusion.

"It's nice out," Junko observed aloud. She stared up at the clear, blue sky. "What day is it?"

"Sunday, March 25," Ai replied. "Why?"

Junko brought her hand to her chin. "I wonder if we could go clothes shopping sometime this week," she said. "I only have two outfits."

"I was actually wondering that, too," Ai replied. "I miss pajamas."

"I would like to get a nightgown," She added.

"And some longer socks."

"Not to mention a fluffy bathrobe…"

"Plus some stuff to wear around the house."

"A couple dresses…"

Saki rolled over and looked up at them. "The hell are you two talking about?"

Ai looked down at her. "We were discussing what clothes we want to get sometime this week."

"Huh…" She brought her hand to her chin. _I guess I need some more stuff, too… Maybe we should take a day off to get adjusted to living in an actual house._

"I don't need anything!" Lily piped in. "Pappy kept all my clothes from when I was alive, so I already have everything I need!"

Saki stifled a laugh. _Oh my god, Shrimpy, you have no idea how sad that is…_ Her smile fell. _Wait… if her dad kept all the shit she had when she was alive, then…!_ She shot up. _My Tamagotchi!_

Junko looked down at her. "Are you alright, Saki?"

She turned to face her. "My Tamagotchi!"

"Huh? Ta-ma-gotchi?"

"It's like…" She motioned with her hands. "An egg! With three buttons!" _How the hell am I supposed to explain it?!_

Junko stared at her, confused. "I don't think I understand," she said.

"Forget it," she moped. She turned back to the video Lily was watching just in time to see the kid onscreen fall and pop the balloon he was standing in, revealing that he was wearing no clothes underneath. The video immediately ended. She started laughing hysterically. "Oh my god, this dude is hilarious!"

Lily pulled the phone close to her face and started tapping on it. "Here, I'll play another one!"

"There's more?!" She beamed.

"Here! In this one, he makes a giant thing of jelly then he jumps on it!" She held the phone back over their heads.

"I wonder how Anakin becomes Darth Vader," Junko pondered aloud. She turned to Ai. "Do you think he'll turn evil when Obi-Wan dies?"

"Obi-Wan doesn't die until episode four," Ai pointed out. "Besides, I already know how he turns evil."

"Oh yeah… Sorry, I forgot."

"What're you apologizing for? You didn't do anything."

"Oh… well… I don't know."

Ai laughed and pulled Junko into a hug. "Don't worry. We'll watch episode two tonight. Maybe three."

There was the distant sound of engines. Ai and Junko looked down the road to see three red scooters headed in their direction.

"Is that them?" Saki asked, looking away from the phone.

"Yeah," Ai replied, breaking from the hug and stepping back.

"Alright," she said, standing up. "We'll finish the video later."

"Okay," Lily said, disappointed. She put her phone into her pocket, stood up, and crossed her arms.

The four zombies stood in a line and watched as the three scooters pulled off the road and stopped in front of them. Maria climbed off her bike and walked over to them.

"Well?" Saki asked.

"Do your guts test again," Maria instructed her. "One at a time." She stood at the end of the line and crossed her arms.

She grinned. _This'll be fun._ She pointed to the brown-haired one. "You! C'mere!"

Migikawa nervously stepped off her bike and walked over to where Saki was and stood at attention. She was clearly trembling. "Y-yes, Saki-san!"

She stared down at the girl for a moment, then leaned in close. "You got guts, kid?"

"Y-yes, Saki-san!" She sweat nervously. Her face was a twisted mess of fear and uncertainty.

She squinted and let out a gruesome smile. "You sure? I haven't seen any guts from you."

"I'm sure, Saki-san!" She clenched her eyes shut.

Saki paused for a second. _The hell did Maria say to her? Something's wrong._ She stood back up at her regular height, put on a straight face, and stared down at her. "What's your name, kid?"

"M-Migikawa!"

"Migikawa. Be honest with me here. Why do you wanna join Dorami?"

She opened her eyes and looked up. "Huh?" She stopped shaking.

She brought her hand to her chin. "You don't seem like the kind of person who'd be into this sort of thing. Why are you doing it? Be honest."

She glanced at Maria, then back at her. "Because Maria-chan wants me to…"

 _I fucking knew it._ Saki stared down at her for a second, then turned to face Maria slowly. "Seriously?"

"What?" Maria asked defensively. "I can't ask them to join?"

"They're not cut out for it! Look at them!" She gestured to the two girls. "Why the hell are you recruiting them?!"

"Well, Dorami needs more members, so-"

"That's not how you do it." Saki turned back to Migikawa and put her hands on her shoulders. "Listen, Migikawa. People with guts do what THEY want, not what other people want them to do."

"B-but Maria-chan wants-"

"Forget about Maria!" She yelled. "What the hell do YOU wanna do?!"

Migikawa stared at her for a second then lowered her head. "I wanna go home."

"WHAT?!" Maria shouted.

She turned to her friend. "I'm sorry, Maria-chan, but I just can't do this anymore! These zombie girls are so scary… and… you got punched yesterday! I don't wanna get punched! Everything is changing so fast, and I can't keep up anymore…"

Saki turned and looked at Maria. "If you wanna have Dorami be successful, you're gonna need to have a crew that wants to be a part of it. She doesn't."

Maria stared at Saki in shock.

Saki patted the girl on the shoulder. "Go home, girl." She released her and stepped back.

Migikawa looked at Maria. "We can still be friends, right?"

Maria turned her gaze towards her. "Y-yeah," she stuttered out.

She smiled and walked back over to her scooter. She climbed on and rode onto the street. She made her way towards the horizon at a leisurely pace.

Saki pointed to the other one. "You! Glasses!"

"I don't wanna be in Dorami either!" She yelled from her bike.

 _Wow, straight to the point! This girl gets it._ She held up a thumbs up. "Alright! See ya around!"

Sayama turned her scooter back on and followed her friend home.

Saki sighed and turned to Maria. "You can't have a gang of quitters."

"Well, then, what're we supposed to do?! We need more members!" She yelled.

"Hey, chillax, I already know how to do this." She put her hand to her chin. "We just need one more thing before we get started."

"What's that?"

"An HQ."


	48. The First Time Doing This

"This wasn't exactly what I had in mind when you said headquarters, Saki…" Ai said quietly.

Saki laughed. "Hey, we're bikers! We can't really have a building, so this is what we did."

"Why call it a headquarters, though?"

"Dunno. Makes it sound cooler, I guess." She leaned down and attempted to peek over Maria's shoulder. "How's it coming?"

"I'm almost done. How's this?" Maria asked, leaning to the side so the girls behind her could get a look.

"What the hell? Why's it so… empty? Where's all the cool stuff?"

"Yeah, it looks kind of bare to me," Ai said.

"Oh yeah," Maria sighed. "Web design is way different now than it was when you two were alive. I don't know why I even asked." She put the finishing touches on the website and added their new email address. "There." She turned to them. "You know, it's really not that hard to make one of these. You could have done it yourself."

"I don't know any of that programming crap," Saki said defensively.

"This isn't programming! You just drag and drop shit! It's 2018!"

Ai rolled her eyes behind her glasses. "Whatever, are we done here?"

"Yeah," Maria said, turning back to the computer and logging off. "Now, how are people gonna find out about this?"

"Huh?" Saki asked. She put her hand to her chin. "I dunno. Word of mouth, I guess."

"You don't know? How do you not know?" Ai asked.

She shrugged. "Never had to do it. Someone else always did."

Maria groaned. "Then what'd I make that for?"

"Maybe we should get business cards or something…" Ai suggested.

Saki laughed. "Business cards? You wanna die?"

"I kinda like that idea, actually," Maria said. "You should bring it up at the next meet."

 _Wait, seriously?_ Saki rubbed her temples. "Whatever." She crossed her arms. "Let's go."

Maria stood up and started walking towards the front of the library. She said nothing.

"So, Saki," Ai said, walking alongside Maria, "do you know what day it is?"

"Uhh, no. Why?"

"It's Sunday."

 _Sunday? The hell does- OH!_ Saki's face lit up. "Oh my god, you're right!"

Maria turned her head slightly. "The hell are you excited about? What does Sunday mean?"

She leaned forward and wrapped her arms around both girls. Her limbs made a disgusting snapping sound. "It means we're going to Drive-In Tori tonight!"

"Oh."

She squealed with glee. "You guys are gonna love it! Seriously!"

"I've had it before."

"Yeah, well none of the others have! Except maybe Shrimpy, I guess. 'Cause she's from Saga, too."

The three of them walked out the front door of the library and turned towards a row of buildings across the street. They crossed silently and walked down an alleyway where Junko and Lily stood, watching something on Lily's phone. All their bikes were parked nearby.

Junko looked up. "Is everything set up?"

"Yeah," Saki replied with a new spring in her step. She smiled and put her fist up in the air. "Now let's go on patrol!"

* * *

In a small park next to the main Karatsu train line just down the street from the library, a circle had formed around a fight. Two young teenagers had arranged to throw hands and a huge crowd of rowdy young men had gathered to witness the epic showdown. The five watched from an alleyway across the street with their bikes parked right next to them.

"I heard about this, but I didn't think Maeda was dumb enough to actually fight him," Maria whispered. "What's the plan?"

"We go in there and we either take their money or kick their asses," Saki replied quietly. "Their choice."

"I hope we don't have to fight anyone," Junko whispered.

She turned to face Maria. "You go in front and we'll get your six. We'll all be wearing glasses so they can't tell we're zombies. Then, when they struggle, we'll pull 'em off and scare 'em all to death. Then you step back and let us do all the work." She turned to the three zombies behind her. "Act as threatening as you can when we pull off the glasses. Ai, get those flowers outta your hair."

"Huh?" Ai ruffled her hair with her hands. The flowers fell out. "Is that better?"

"Yeah." She turned back towards the action. "Alright, Maria, on your count."

"Alright," she said. She took a deep breath. "Three, two, one!"

Maria stood up and started walking across the street, hunched over with her hands in her pockets. The four zombies got into a group behind her and followed closely. Some kids on the outside of the circle looked briefly at them, but most were concentrating on the fight within.

"Hey!" Maria yelled as she made her way into the park. "The hell makes you think you can fight in this park?! This is Dorami turf!"

More kids from the circle turned to face her, but the majority kept watching the fight.

"Hey! I'm talkin' to you!"

No one who wasn't looking before turned to look. One kid looked back at the fight in the middle.

 _Damn, we've gotta work on your yell._ "Hey!" Saki shouted commandingly. Her voice echoed across the park.

The fight immediately stopped. Every kid in the circle turned to face Dorami.

"Tsk! The hell makes you think you can fight here?!" Maria picked up. She stopped and stomped her foot into the wood chips. "This is Dorami turf!"

A low murmur broke out among the crowd. "What's Dorami?" "Is that like… some kind of club?" "Dude, look at them… they're green…" "What the hell?" "Dude, what's with that one's mouth?"

"Shut up!" She yelled. "If you idiots wanna fight here, you gotta pay up!"

"Pay up? Like, money?" One of them asked.

"Yeah, MONEY, DUMBASS!" She yelled. "1,000 yen each!"

Saki glanced at Maria. _Don't you think that's a bit low?_

There was a short silence from the group. "Fuck off!" One of the kids from the inner circle yelled. Immediately, the circle began hurling insults at the girls. One of them threw a soda can at Junko.

"Eep!" Junko exclaimed. She swerved her head to the left to avoid getting hit.

Maria glanced at Saki and received a nod. She looked back to the group and shrugged smugly. "Alright, then. Have it your way." She stepped backwards through the line of zombies and smiled. "Take it away, girls."

The four zombies removed their glasses and the small riot stopped almost immediately.

"Alright, punks! Now's your last chance!" Saki yelled. "Pay up or pay the price!"

The kids in the circle were frozen in fear. One of them started to run.

"Oh, hell no!" Saki yelled. She sprinted after the runner. Within seconds, she had caught up to him. She elbowed him in the spine and he fell to the ground in a fetal position. She delivered a few kicks to the ribs then turned back to the circle. "See what happens to runners?!" She yelled. She squatted down and pulled his wallet out of his pocket. She counted all the cash then stuck it into her own pocket and dropped the wallet on his face. _Only 4,000… damn._

Lily stepped up to one of the kids in the front and looked up at him. "Better pay up!" She said with a cute smile.

His head snapped to the girl in front of her. He shuddered in fear. "I-I don't have any cash!"

She frowned. "Saki-chan, what do I do if he doesn't have any cash?" She asked without breaking eye contact.

"Kick his ass!" She yelled as she walked back to the circle.

"Okay!" She immediately threw a punch into his crotch with a childish giggle. The kid in front of her crumpled over and winced on the ground. She turned to the rest of the circle. "Who's next?" She asked with an adorable smile.

Saki was dumbfounded. _Seriously?! She's terrifyingly cute!_

"I-I'll pay!" A boy with glasses yelled. "H-how much w-was it again?"

"5,000 yen," Maria said smugly.

"H-huh? I thought it was 1,000!" He yelled in shock.

 _Ah, I get it. Nice touch._

"It was! Then you decided that you'd all be bastards!" She yelled. "5,000! Pay up or get stuffed!"

Lily and Saki made their way around the circle collecting cash and giving out occasional punches. Oddly enough, Lily being cute was terrifying for the boys. Most of them just threw the money at her when she walked up to them.

"Thank you!" She said politely, bending down to pick up the cash. She hummed a little tune to herself.

"That's certainly an interesting way of doing it…" Ai whispered to Junko.

"The hell are you two waiting for? Get going!" Maria yelled at them. She shoved them towards the circle.

Ai and Junko looked at each other nervously then started walking around the circle. They made eye contact with the boys, but didn't actually say anything.

Saki noticed the two of them circling and pulled them aside. "Hey, what's wrong?" She whispered.

"I don't want to hurt anyone," Junko whispered.

"That's fine! Just walk around the outside and glare at them. Shrimpy and I can collect." She gestured to Lily as she punched another kid in the crotch.

"Really? We can do that?" Ai asked.

"Yeah. Just put them in their place with your most threatening stare." She stood back up and headed back into the circle. "You! Big nose! Where's my cash?!"

"I-I already gave it to the other one!"

Ai and Junko looked at each other. Ai shrugged. They both started walking around the circle slowly, staring at the boys. Ai gave a very judging stare, while Junko's was a lot more suited to moping. Neither of them were very menacing.

"I feel ridiculous," Junko complained.

"Just keep going! We'll talk about it after!" Ai whispered back loudly. "You're doing fine."

Finally, Saki and Lily finished collecting money and made their way back over to Maria. Junko and Ai quickly joined them.

"Next time, pay up the first time I ask!" Maria yelled. "And remember the name Dorami!" She snapped and her entire crew turned and walked over to their bikes across the street. She climbed on, started her engine, and took off. Four zombies flew after her, leaving a stunned group of teenagers in the park.

* * *

The five girls sat at a table in a nearby park. It was empty aside from a nearby mother playing with her daughter on the swings, paying no mind to them.

Maria laid down the last note. "74,351 yen."

Saki grinned. "Wow! That's a huge haul!"

Lily bounced up and down. "Did you see me, Saki-chan? Did I do good?"

"God, Shrimpy, that was great! Way better than what I was expecting!"

She smiled. "They were all blown away by how cute I was!"

She laughed. _Jeez, this kid is crazy!_ She turned to Junko and Ai. "But yeah, you guys don't have to take any money. You can just intimidate them into giving it up."

"I don't think we did very well," Junko said. "I felt ridiculous."

Ai nodded. "We're really lacking in the face department. We probably need some weapons to make ourselves more intimidating."

"What kind?" Saki asked.

She put her hand to her chin and paused, clearly pondering. There was a long period of silence before she put her hand down and finally spoke. "A gun?"

She laughed. "Yeah, good luck getting a gun in Japan!"

She sat up, frustrated. "Well, what weapon would you recommend, then?!"

"Either a knife or something that isn't really meant to be used as a weapon. That's how you intimidate."

"There are tons of guns that aren't meant to be used as weapons!" she argued.

She laughed. "What, are you gonna point a staple gun at someone?"

"Or a nail gun!"

Saki went to laugh again, but stopped. "Actually, that's not a bad idea."

Ai was caught off-guard. "Huh? Seriously?"

"Yeah." She put her hand on her chin. "That's actually a really cool idea. You should do that." She turned to Junko. "What kind of weapon would you have?"

"U-um, I don't know…" Junko stared blankly at Saki.

"You should probably get something that reflects your personality," Ai suggested. "Something… elegant."

She blushed.

"What, like a butterfly knife?" Saki asked.

"A what?" Ai squinted.

"It's like a knife, but you spin it around to open it. It looks really cool. Trust me. One of the chicks in my squad used to have one."

Junko blinked. "Okay…"

"I wonder how hard it is to get a butterfly knife…?" She put her hand to her chin. "I should have asked her."

"You can get one online!" Lily suggested.

"Huh? Really?"

"Well, probably. You can get anything online!"

Saki raised an eyebrow. "Seriously?"

"Are you all done?" Maria asked. She stared blankly at the zombies seated at the table.

"Uh, yeah."

"Alright, then." She stood up. "We're having a meet."

All eyes were on her.

"Alright, so, we've got a lot of money now." She looked down at the pile of cash on the table. "We gotta figure out how to spend it."

"The hell are you talking about?" Saki asked. "We're obviously gonna use it to upgrade our bikes."

Maria shot a glance at her scooter. "I don't even have one," she whispered.

"We'll steal you one next time we get the chance."

She put her hand to her chin. "Shouldn't I be riding Misa's bike since I'm the boss?"

She blinked. "Huh?"

"I mean, once we have the other one."

Saki thought about it for a moment. _God, I love that bike… but she is the boss… I guess I can just mod ours to be similar._ She sighed. "Yeah. Sure."

"Actually, we might get that chance pretty soon," Ai pointed out.

"Huh?" Maria and Saki asked in unison.

"Korosuke was at Drive-In Tori last Sunday, right? Maybe they'll show up again tonight."

Saki gasped. "Damn! You're right!" She turned to Maria. "You know how to ride a bike?"

"Yeah," she said.

"Good! We're gonna use that tonight!" She stood up and threw her fist in the air. "We're gonna steal another one!"

"If they show up," Ai reminded her.

"Oh, right." She sat back down and rested her head on her fist.

"Besides, we haven't finished the meet yet."

"What's left to do?" Saki asked.

"Well, I had an idea," Ai started. "Business cards."


	49. The Chicken

The five members of Dorami walked out from behind the used car dealership where they had parked their bikes. Across the street was Drive-In Tori, which was reasonably packed for 8 PM. "You're sure they're fine to leave here?" Maria asked.

"No one's been here since we were last week," Ai reassured her. "They'll be fine."

"Besides," Saki laughed, "if someone takes our bikes, we'll just steal more from Korosuke."

The five of them walked through the rows of cars and across the street. With each step, a certain one of them got more and more giddy.

"You seem very excited," Junko observed.

"Yeah! I haven't had Tori in, like… what?" She counted on her fingers. "Eleven days? Well, technically, I haven't had it in 21 years."

"No one cares about the 21 years, though…" Lily said to herself quietly as she pushed her heart back into her chest.

"You can't go eleven days without fried chicken?" Ai asked.

"Tori is not just any fried chicken!"

"How so?"

"You'll understand once you try some!" She pulled the glass doors open and stepped inside, where she took a dramatic deep breath. _Ahhhhh, it's still got that same homey feel!_ She looked around excitedly. The restaurant had some new vending machines and updated decorations, but the basic room structure was the same.

"Welcome to Drive-In Tori! Would you like a private room or a table?" The man behind the counter asked them enthusiastically.

"Private room, please," Ai said.

He tapped a few times on his computer screen then walked out from behind the desk. "Right this way." He led them around the corner and through a wide merchandise-laden hallway into a private room. "You're in room 21," he said. He guided them to a room at the end of the hall. It was barely visible from the lobby.

"Thank you," Junko said as she began to remove her boots at the entrance.

"Someone will be here soon to take your orders. You should turn on the grills as soon as you sit down so they're ready faster." He turned back towards the front and walked off.

Lily practically flew out of her boots and took a seat on the right side of the table. "Come sit next to me, Saki-chan!"

"Jeez, gimme a minute!" She took off her boots incredibly slowly because she was trying to do so while standing.

Junko finished removing her boots and took a seat across from Lily. Ai quickly joined her.

"Wait, there's only four seats," Maria pointed out.

"Nah, there's more right there." Saki pointed to the extra zabutons leaning against the wall. _Not super observant, huh?_

"Oh." She stepped carefully over Ai and Junko and took a seat at the end of the table opposite the door next to Ai.

Saki finally finished taking off her boots and took a seat next to Lily and Maria. "You guys have no idea how good this place is!" She leaned forward and turned on the gas grills in front of them. A flame was lit beneath each one.

"I thought this place served chicken…" Junko said, looking at the grills.

"It does! We grill them on these!"

"Yakiniku-style?" Ai asked.

"Yeah! You're gonna love it, I swear."

Soon, an older-looking woman appeared in the doorway holding a notepad and a pen. "Welcome to Drive-In Tori! Any chance you're all ready to order?" She asked.

"A number one with a side of lettuce!" Saki yelled enthusiastically.

"Number one with extra rice," Maria requested casually.

She scribbled quickly on her notepad and looked back up. "Alright, anyone else?" she asked.

The rest of the girls were left silent. Junko turned to the woman slowly. "Chicken…?"

She laughed. "Just the chicken? No sides?"

She looked at Maria, then back at the waitress. "Rice…?"

"Alright." She wrote it down. Then looked at Ai. "And you?"

"Um, I'll have what she's having."

"Okay, two orders of fried chicken with rice, and then for you, little one?"

"I want what she's having!" She pointed at Saki.

"Alright! Anything to drink?"

"Orange soda!" Saki yelled.

"Water's fine," Maria said.

"Water."

"Water."

"Orange soda!"

She let out a soft smile. "I'll get these back to you right away." She turned and walked back to the front area, leaving Dorami alone.

"How much money did we get today, in total?" Saki asked Maria.

"Uh, I think it was something like 98,000."

"Damn, really?" She sighed. "I really thought after that first group that we'd collect more than usual, but that's not even average." She rested her head on her fist. "Chump change."

"It's still one hell of a lot more than we made before you guys showed up," Maria said.

"I mean, that's enough to get a blowtorch and do some half-decent mods," she replied, "but not really enough to do anything super substantial."

"We should start getting more consistent money once people start coming to us for jobs," Ai pointed out.

The woman reappeared from around the corner with multiple glasses. She leaned in and set the glasses down in front of each respective girl.

"Thank you!" Lily said. She grabbed the glass with both hands and started drinking immediately.

"Hey, don't drink that all! You won't have any when we actually start eating!" Saki warned her.

The woman smiled and stood back up. She paused for a moment and tilted her head. "Excuse me, but, if you don't mind me asking…"

Lily looked up.

"Are you okay? Your skin… it's… green. Both of you." She looked between Saki and Lily.

The girls froze. Crap _, glasses aren't enough for me and Shrimpy now! Our chins and necks are totally exposed!_

"They have a rare skin condition!" Ai shouted as she physically turned Junko's head away from the doorway to hide the green half of her face. "They're fine!"

The woman was taken aback by Ai's volume, but accepted this answer. "Okay! I'll be back soon with the food." She turned and walked away.

Saki breathed a sigh of relief. "Nice thinking, Bandages. Thought I was done for."

"I guess the glasses don't really work for you two very well without scarves," Ai observed. "We'll have to work on better disguises."

"Actually, Pappy already came up with a good disguise!" Lily said. "We used it on Thursday to go out!"

Saki turned to her in surprise. "What? For real?!"

"Yeah!" She said with a smile. After a second, she pouted. "I already told you, Saki-chan."

"Oh, right, sorry," She said. _She did?_

"What's the disguise?" Junko asked.

"Makeup! Just tons of makeup! It took a long time to put on, but I looked like I did when I was alive!"

"So with enough makeup, we can look like humans?" she beamed.

"Yeah! We went to Kouno Park!" she smiled. "It was really fun!"

Ai and Junko stared in disbelief, each with a goofy grin on their faces. "S-seriously?" Ai asked.

"Yeah, Pappy was crying the whole time he was putting it on me. He told me how beautiful I looked and it made me feel really happy!"

"What did he do about the eyes?"

"Huh? I dunno. I closed my eyes while he did it. It tickled a lot, though!"

"Do you think we could try it sometime?"

"Yeah! Pappy will be really happy to do it, I'm sure!"

The woman reappeared with several plates of food. Before each girl she lay a plate of raw chicken and a plate of rice. Maria got two. She also put down a plate of lettuce in front of Saki and Lily. "There you go! Please let me know if there's anything else I can help you with."

"Thank you so much!" Saki yelled with a bow.

"Erm, you're welcome…" She turned and walked away.

She grinned from ear to ear and immediately started loading chicken from her plate onto the grill with her chopsticks.

"Hey, leave room for mine, dammit!" Maria yelled, picking up some of Saki's pieces and pushing them aside.

"Hey, hey, hey! The hell's your problem?! If they aren't spaced out right, the sides don't cook right!" She spread her chicken back out angrily.

"But then there's no room for mine! Just take some of yours off!"

"I already started! You should've been faster!"

Before long, the two of them were engaged in a miniature chopstick war. Ai watched the two battle over turf on the grill for a moment. She turned to the other grill, which Lily and Junko were sharing equally. "Mind if I cook mine on yours?"

"Go ahead," Junko said. She moved aside some of her own chicken to make room.

"Ha!" Maria exclaimed as she dropped one of her own pieces onto the grill. "What're you gonna do now?"

Saki stared blankly at her. She simply grabbed Maria's piece with her chopsticks and tossed it back onto her plate. "Your move."

"Wh-" She put on a cocky smile. "You think you're so smart?" She grabbed one of Saki's pieces off the grill and put it on her own plate. "Prisoner of war."

"No! That one's in the middle of cooking!" Saki shouted rather emotionally. "You can't interrupt the process!"

"Let me cook my pieces and I'll put it back on," Maria bargained.

"Fine," she said. "You get the whole thing once I'm done. Then after that it's every man for himself." She extended her hand.

She shook it. "Deal." She picked Saki's piece back up and put it back on the grill. She nodded at Saki, who nodded back. The two had made a peace treaty.

Lily, Junko, and Ai burst out laughing.

Saki was immediately brought back to reality. She looked at the zombies next to her. "What's so funny?"

"You had a little war!" Lily said between fits of giggling. "It was funny!"

She smiled and looked back at Maria. They each also broke into laughter. _Now this… this is just like old times._

Junko was the first to stop laughing. She looked back down at the chicken. "When do we know they're done?" She asked.

Saki wiped a tear from her eye as she let out a few final laughs. "It'll get all crispy and brown pretty soon. That's when you wanna flip it over for another minute to let it cook the other side." She looked back down at her own chicken. "They probably all need another minute or two," she said.

"I hope this is as good as you make it out to be," Ai said skeptically.

"It is, I promise you!" She grinned. She put a couple pieces of rice in her mouth. _Ooh, even the rice is the same!_

"Hey, I've got a question," Maria said.

"What is it?" Ai asked.

"You guys are zombies, right? So biting people turns them into zombies, too, right?"

She put her hand to her chin. "I don't know. I've thought about it myself, but I'm afraid to actually try it."

"We really don't know a lot about our bodies," Junko added. "It's kind of scary."

"Well, we know we can take off body parts and still move them, and we can survive things normal people couldn't…" She gestured towards Saki. "But I wonder what else."

"We don't age!" Lily said happily.

"I wonder if our hair still grows," Junko pondered aloud.

"Maybe you should test stuff out," Maria suggested.

"I don't think that's a very smart idea," Ai retorted. "We could end up starting an apocalypse or even dying."

"Again," Junko added.

Maria shrugged. "Figure it out. We could use that stuff to our advantage."

"Well, if you wanna know, why don't you figure out a way to test it safely?" Ai asked condescendingly.

She pouted and turned her head away. "Hmmph!"

"I think our fingernails still grow," Junko said, looking down at her hands. "These are longer than I normally keep them."

"I think that's actually because the skin around them is thinner, so they look longer," Ai explained. "You know how they say your nails keep growing after you die? It's like that."

"You think so?" She looked back down at her hands. "I suppose that does explain it."

"Gross," Lily commentated.

"These ones look good…" Saki muttered to herself aloud. She hadn't been paying attention to their conversation at all. She flipped over several of her pieces.

"Saki-chan, look at mine!" Lily said, pointing to her own pieces. "Which ones should I flip?!"

"Uhh, you should flip over those ones," She said, pointing at a number of chicken near the middle with her chopsticks. She looked back at her own pieces and watched with anticipation. Her mouth started watering. She flipped over the rest of her pieces as well.

"Do you really think Korosuke will be here again tonight?" Junko asked.

Ai shrugged. "I don't know. But it's a good excuse to eat some chicken." She looked at her own pieces on the grill. "Are these ones done?" She asked herself quietly. She started flipping them over.

Maria rested her head on her fist. "I wonder what Migikawa and Sayama are doing now…"

"They're better off without us," Ai said.

"I know," she moped. "It's just weird not having them around."

"Right this way," the man who had seated them said. A family began to enter the private room next door. "You're in room 22."

"Thank you!" A little girl's voice said.

"It's my pleasure. Someone will be here soon to take your orders. You should turn on the grills as soon as you sit down so they're ready faster."

Finally, Saki plucked one of her pieces off the grill. She stared at it a moment, taking in all its sights and smells, before popping it into her mouth. "Ohhh man…" She moaned. _It's just as good as I remember…_ She closed her eyes in heavenly bliss and savored the flavor. Tears formed at the corners of her eyes.

"You've really been looking forward to this, haven't you?" Junko asked.

"You haff no idea," Saki replied with her mouth full. She was loving the succulent chicken in her mouth.

Lily picked a piece off the grill and put it in her mouth. She gasped. "Wow, this is really good!" She started shoveling chicken into her mouth.

"Hey! Leave some for us!" Ai protested, quickly pulling chicken off the grill for her and Junko. She put a piece into her mouth. "Oh! This is good."

"Delicious," Junko said as she tasted her first piece.

Lily giggled. Her mouth was so full of chicken she couldn't shut it. "Hook ah ee, Haki-han!" She turned to face Saki. Her face looked like a deformed green balloon.

She laughed. "Don't do that, Shrimpy, you'll choke!"

"Ih hihe!" She said through the chicken. She started chewing very slowly.

"I told you guys, Tori is amazing!"

"I'm sorry I doubted you," Ai said between bites.

Saki put some rice and lettuce in her mouth to complete the chicken's flavor. "Ohhh yeah…" _Everything about this reminds me of the old crew,_ Saki thought to herself. _But something's missing._ She put another piece of chicken into her mouth and inspected each of the girls before her. _Oh! That's what's off!_ "What colors are you guys gonna color your hair?"

"Huh?" Ai asked.

"When I was alife," Saki said with her mouth full, "everyone in Dorami had color in their hair." She turned to the side, displaying her orange and green highlights. "Like this!"

"Do we have to do that?"

"I mean, you don't haff to," she said. She swallowed. "But it'd look cooler if you did."

Maria sat up excitedly. "What color should I do?"

"Uhh, I dunno. For an orange like that, you probably wanna do something dark. Maybe a purple or something." She started going counterclockwise around the table. "For Ai, I'd say probably red. Junko, blue."

"My hair's already blue!" Lily pouted.

"Well, I mean, a darker blue. Like the little ties she has."

Junko turned her head and showed Lily the small navy ties that differentiated her short hair from the two long strands she had.

"Oh. What about me?!" Lily asked, bouncing up and down excitedly.

"For you?" Saki brought a hand to her chin. "Green. Definitely green."

A wide smile spread across the girl's face. "Like you, Saki-chan!"

She put another piece of chicken into her mouth. "Well, yeah, I guess. I mean, you don't haff to if you don't want to, but that's what I'd do."

"What kind of purple?" Maria asked as she started laying her own pieces of chicken on the grill.

"Mmm, probably, like, Amethyst or something," She said, visualizing it in her head. She shoved more rice and lettuce into her mouth.

Ai shook her head and smiled. "You and your colors."

"You'd be into colors, too, if you colored your hair like me," she said, pointing to her head.

"Right this way," the man at the front said. "You're all in rooms, 23, 24, and 25. You can open the doors between if you'd like."

"Thank you, dear," a young woman said somewhat seductively.

Maria froze. "Guys!" she whispered loudly. "That's Misa!"


	50. The Stealth Mission

"What are they saying?" Junko asked.

"Shh! I'm trying to listen!" Ai scolded her. Her ear was pressed up against the wall. "This family next door is really talkative, though, so it's hard to make anything out."

Saki crawled around the table and pressed her ear to the wall. _Damn, all I can hear is that family!_ She looked around the room for any other methods of spying. _There's nothing here!_ She looked up at the window and noticed it had a simple lock on it. She stood up and immediately started unlocking it.

"What on Earth are you doing?!" Ai asked quietly.

"I'm gonna go spy," Saki said. She pushed open the window. "Start eating faster. When I tell you to go, we need to go. Be ready to put on your boots." She reached down onto her plate and stuffed all the rice and chicken she could into her pockets. Then she dived out the window into the parking lot. She prepared to land in a roll, but the ground was lower down than she thought. She faceplanted into the asphalt with a _thump_. She stood up and brushed herself off. "Damn, that hurt." She felt the cool parking lot through her socks. _I should have taken my boots, damn it!_

"You ok?" Maria asked from the window.

"I'm fine." She turned back to find that the window was above her head level. "I dunno how I'm gonna get back in, though."

"Doesn't matter. Go figure out what they're saying!" she commanded.

"I'm gonna! You wanna die?" She walked alongside the wall of the building and made her way two windows over. _Damn, I can't see!_ She jumped up and down. Even then, she couldn't jump high enough to get a good look. _Can't fucking see anything!_ She put her hands on the bottom of her chin. _Damn it, I really don't like doing this._ She lifted her head off her neck and held it high above her head. She stood on her toes. There, she could see inside the room. She saw Misa sitting around the table with her high-ranking members. She noticed that only one seat was vacant. _All right!_ She put her head back on and pressed her ear up against the restaurant's wood exterior.

"So, Miss Misa, why are we here so early? We usually don't come until, like, ten," one voice said.

"Oh, my sleep schedule has been demolished by our little project," Misa replied. "I thought we'd come here a bit earlier so I could go to bed sooner."

"Project? You mean the zombie one?"

Saki smiled. _Hah! I'm messing with her sleep? That's awesome!_

"Yes, that one," she sighed. "Do we have any other projects, Sayori?"

"W-well, no…"

"What were their names again? I think one of them started with an S…" another girl said.

She blinked. _How the hell do they know that?_

"... and the other one… I can't remember her name. She had black hair, though."

She gasped and pulled her head away from the wall. _How the hell do they know about Ai?!_ She ran back to their window in a panic. "Maria! We need to go! They know about Ai!"

"They know about me?!" Ai yelled. "How?!"

"What about her?" Maria asked.

"I don't know!" Saki shouted back. "What matters is they know way more than they should! We need to move before they find out we're here!"

"Okay!" She turned back to the zombies in the room with her. "Everyone! Let's go!"

"Wait!" She yelled. She winced as she popped her head off her shoulders and held it up to the window again. "If they see you or Ai, it's gonna be really bad!"

"Shit, you're right!" She turned around and was startled by the disembodied head. "Gah! Don't scare me like that, dumbass!"

"Sorry! Anyway, we have to send either Shrimpy or Marshmallow to pay!" She yelled urgently.

"Wait! If they see our jackets, they'll know!" Junko pointed out.

"Just take them off!"

"But… our arms…" Junko pointed out as she removed her jacket. Both her arms were an amalgamation of greens, blues, whites, and blacks.

"Yeah, that's not gonna work," Lily added. Her arms were a bright green.

"I'm the only one whose arms don't give away the fact that I'm a zombie, but if they see me, they'll know," Ai said.

Maria put her hand to her chin. "Damn, what are we gonna do?" She looked at the zombies before her, then back at Saki. She gasped and turned back to them. She pointed at Saki's head. "Can you guys do that?"

* * *

"Okay, Ai, stand up," Maria coached her.

She stood up, wobbling her arms wildly. "This is so not going to work!" she yelled as she slowly gained her balance.

"You're doing great," Junko said.

"You say that, but you're hyperventilating! I can see your chest!"

"Chill out!" Maria yelled. "You're gonna be fine." She walked over to the window and held Ai's head out. "Here, Saki. Go around to the front so she can see."

"Don't drop me!" She yelled. Her arms flung around wildly.

"Be careful, Ai!" Junko yelled. "I'm on your body, remember?!"

"I got you," Saki said. "Relax, Bandages." She grabbed Ai's head and brought it down to her level. She handed it to Lily. "Hand down some parts of Junko!"

"Hi, Ai-chan!" Lily said. She picked her up and carried her head like a baby.

"This is so weird," Ai sighed.

Maria handed Saki Junko's lower half. "Wait, she has her boots on, right?"

"Yeah," Saki answered. She put the legs down on the ground. "Hand over the top half!"

She picked up Junko's torso by the armpits and carried her out the window. "Here!"

"I gotta say, you seem really unfazed at all this for a human," she said as she attached the torso to the legs.

Maria shook her head. "I have so much adrenaline pumping right now." She turned back to where Ai was standing with Junko's head on her body. "You ready, Marshmallow?"

She stared straight ahead. "I think so. I can't move at all, so I'm depending on Ai to do this."

"Alright." She turned out the window. "Saki, Lily. You two go around to the front and hold her up to the window so she can see. I'll catch up with you in a minute with Junko's body."

"Alright," Saki said. She ran around the store and made her way back to the front. She turned to see Lily running after her with Ai's head in her arms. Ai looked nauseous.

Lily held Ai's head above her own and turned her towards the lobby. "Okay! Ready!"

Ai swallowed nervously. Her saliva fell out the bottom of her mouth and into Lily's hair.

"Did you just spit on me?" Lily asked coldly.

"Oh, s-sorry." She took a deep breath. "Okay, here we go." After a few seconds, her body waddled out from around the corner. "There I am!"

Junko's head sat on top. Even though she wore sunglasses, it was clear that she was clenching her eyes shut.

"Okay, now stop and turn left," Saki whispered.

"I know! Let me concentrate!" Ai yelled. Her body stopped and slowly turned. It was a few seconds before she started waddling forward again.

Saki couldn't help but laugh. _Oh my god, she's walking like a damn penguin!_ "You gotta walk, Bandages!"

"Shut up!" She said, staring intently at herself. She gritted her teeth as she attempted to walk normally. She took one step, then another, then she started to lose her balance. Junko's scream could be heard through the glass. Everyone in Korosuke's room turned and looked at the concatenated girls.

"No! Okay! Waddle! Waddle!" she yelled.

Ai straightened herself up and continued to waddle towards the front. Finally, she reached the front desk and turned towards it. She reached into her pocket and pulled out the cash they had brought and waited for the clerk to arrive. "Okay. We're almost there."

Finally, the man who had seated them returned. He smiled and said something to Junko, who said something back. The two had a quick conversation while he tapped on the screen in front of him. Then he held out his hand. Junko stared at him awkwardly.

"Ai, the cash!" Saki reminded her.

"Oh!" She loosened her grip on the money and held it up for the clerk to grab.

He grabbed it and opened the register, doing quick work of their money. He collected a new stack of notes and put it down in front of her.

Ai bit her lip and felt around for the cash. "Move me to the side! I can't see where the money is!"

"Bossy," Lily said to herself as she sidestepped until Ai could see the cash.

She reached down for it and still missed. "Hand-eye coordination is really hard…" she whispered. After a few attempts, she grabbed the money and crumpled it up into a ball. She shoved the ball into her pocket.

Maria walked around the corner, holding Junko's hand and leading her along like a drunk toddler. "Are you almost done?"

"Almost," Ai said. She stared at the transaction happening inside.

The clerk held out a receipt for her to grab.

Ai went to grab it and missed. She swung again and missed again. "Damn it!" Finally, she grabbed it and shoved it in her other pocket.

Junko said something then he said something back. He was clearly put off by her complete lack of body language.

Ai turned and started waddling towards the door.

The man reached out and stopped her by grabbing her shoulder. He held up a small orange card and started mouthing off about it. Junko stared towards the doors, unable to face him.

"What's he doing?" Ai asked.

"Looks like a rewards card," Lily said.

"Ugh, I don't have time for this!" Maria yelled. She let go of Junko's hand and walked into the store. She said something to Junko, then to the clerk. Then she stepped around to her back, picked her up by her armpits, and carried her out. She put her down and groaned. "That was terrible."

Ai picked up Junko's head off her neck. "Finally," she sighed. She handed Junko to Maria and smiled as she grabbed her head out of Lily's hands. She twisted her head back on with a snap and rotated her head in a circle, popping all the joints in her neck. "That's better."

"That was so scary…" Junko whispered as Maria reattached her head. "I never want to do that again."

Saki groaned. "Okay, now that that's over…" She turned to the line of Korosuke bikes parked outside the store. She walked towards them and started inspecting them. Almost immediately, she found one with a key in it. "Haha! You think they'd learn, huh?" She looked up. "You guys go on ahead! I'll catch up!"

The four girls nodded and ran across the street. Soon, they all peeled out of the lot and headed back towards Karatsu at high speeds.

She made her way through the other bikes, checking each for cash. Unfortunately, she found nothing. _Huh. I guess most of them did learn._ She returned to the bike with a key, rolled it backwards with a grunt, and climbed on. She swiftly turned it on and rode into the street at a leisurely pace. She reached into her pocket, pulled out some chicken, and stuffed it into her mouth. _Dinner on the road._

* * *

"What a strange girl," Misa said. She turned back to her chicken on the grill. "Imari is just full of them these days…"

One of the girls at her table looked up. She pulled her phone out of her pocket and smiled. "Hey, Misa."

"Hmm?"

She turned her phone toward her. On the screen was a blue dot on a map moving north. "They took the bait."

She smiled. "Excellent." She straightened up. "Korosuke! We're going!"


	51. The Setup

Saki squeezed tightly to compress the rice into a solid ball with her left hand. Then she lifted it out of her pocket and up to her mouth, where she took a bite out of it. _Mmm, that's good Tori._ She wasn't driving at her best because she was eating, so she was a fair distance behind the rest of Dorami. But that was okay. As soon as she finished eating, she would catch up. She finished her impromptu rice ball and smacked her lips.

She was on a long, empty stretch of highway running between two mountains. The only light she had to guide her was that from her bike's headlights. Nothing was visible except for the road immediately in front of her and the tunnel that would lead her through Mount Hinotake.

She emerged from between the two mountains and sped towards the opening of the tunnel.

Suddenly, her bike's engine stopped.

"Huh?" She looked down at the gauges on her dash. She was out of gas. _Crap! I didn't check the gas!_ She twisted the throttle, but it did nothing to help. She looked around in a panic. No one else was around. _This never happens when I'm alone!_ She rolled to a stop around 50 meters into the tunnel. She stepped off and sulked. _Damn it! Guess I'll wait for the others to come back for me._ She laid the bike down on the ground and kicked it in frustration. _Stupid Korosuke! Can't fucking fuel up their bikes!_

The tunnel she was now in was tiled white like a bathroom floor. On the right side of the tunnel, there was an elevated maintenance path. Her new surroundings were mostly boring, aside from a red power box on the side of the road next to her that one could only assume controlled the lights illuminating the tunnel.

She sat down next to it and started reading it. _Better than nothing…_

The sound of bikes echoed down the length of the tunnel.

She stood up. _Wow, that was fast!_ She turned towards the other end of the tunnel, but saw nothing. _Wait, what?_ She turned the other way and gasped at what she saw. _Oh, crap._

Speeding towards her was a long line of lights.

 _SHIT! THIS IS A TRAP!_ She quickly pulled off her jacket and stuffed it behind the power box. _I can't tell them anything they don't already know!_ She walked into the middle of the road, looked back towards the lights, and took off her glasses. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She stood confidently, puffing up her chest with her arms at her sides and her fists clenched. She breathed strongly through her teeth. _Here we go. Let's see how tough these Korosuke bitches are in 2018._

Korosuke formed a circle around her. The girls all stepped off their bikes, each with their hands behind their backs. Many of them rode two to a bike.

Misa stepped off her bike and walked silently towards her. The sound of her heels clacking against the concrete echoed throughout the tunnel. "Saki Nikaido, I presume?"

She put on a cocky smile. "You've done your research, huh, Misa?"

She produced a whip from her hip and snapped it against the ground. "I'm only going to ask this once, Saki. Where are our bikes?"

She put her hands on her hips confidently. "Like hell are you getting info outta us. You Korosuke bitches make me sick."

She raised an eyebrow. "Us?"

"Quit playing dumb, bitch. I know you know about Bandages. I heard you talking at Drive-In Tori."

She squinted and changed to coy smile. "How much?"

She laughed. "I'm not telling you anything!"

"So I presume you're not going to tell us where the bikes are?"

She put on a smug expression. "I thought you were only gonna ask once."

There was the loud sound of metal clanking and chainsaws revving as all the members of Korosuke took their weapons out from behind her back.

Saki looked around and smiled. "You Korosuke bitches all still depend on weapons, huh?"

Misa cracked her whip against the ground again. "I wonder how many we'll need to kill a zombie."

She laughed and swept her left foot back, landing in a fighting stance. She put her fists up and smiled. "I'd like to see you try."

She smirked and swung her arm over her head, preparing for an initial strike. In the moment that her hand was above her head, Saki had already stepped forward with her left foot, spun around, and delivered a powerful kick to her abdomen with her right. She fell backwards and landed on her back. "Oof!"

Saki walked over to her, put her foot down on Misa's midriff, and leaned over her. "Your stance is way too weak, Misa," she said mockingly.

A red-haired girl charged at her with a crowbar. "Get your dirty paws off of her!"

She turned to see her about a meter away, holding the crowbar above her head with two hands. _Here we go!_ She quickly stepped into a stance and lowered herself, waiting for the inevitable downward strike. As the crowbar lowered towards her head, she stepped to the left, grabbed the girl by the hair with both hands, and pulled her face into a full-force knee strike with her right leg.

"Guwaah!" The girl screamed instinctively as she fell to the ground, dripping blood onto the pavement.

She quickly twisted her head towards two more girls who were charging at her, one with a shovel and the other with a chainsaw. She quickly bent down and grabbed the crowbar the girl had dropped. She stood up and threw it at the chainsaw girl's head. It made a loud _GONK_ sound and she collapsed immediately.

The shovel girl turned to her friend in shock, then looked back just in time to see Saki's fist collide with her face.

She grabbed the shovel, smacked her in the side of the head with it, and looked around with a wicked grin as the girl fell on top of her friend.

"What are you all just standing there for?!" Misa yelled. "Get her!"

Saki beamed as the entire circle converged on her. "Now, this is what I'm talking about!" she yelled, spinning the shovel around her.

"Hyah!" A girl yelled as she swung her chain at Saki horizontally.

"Whoa!" She stopped the chain short with the shovel and grabbed it, pulling the girl off her feet and onto the ground. "You think I haven't dealt with a chain before, dumbass?!" She turned to see another girl running at her, sporting a pickaxe. _Seriously? A pickaxe? That's too heavy._ She stepped to the side and simply tripped her with her foot, sending her flying forward.

"Tsk!" One girl started. She ran at Saki with a fire iron. "Don't underestimate us!" She jabbed it towards her head.

She dodged swiftly. "Oh, I'm not!" She delivered a quick jab to the girl's ribcage and kicked her in the side of her knee, crippling her to the ground.

"Gotcha!" Someone yelled as they smacked her in the head with a crowbar. It left a small dent in her skull.

Saki turned and glared at her angrily. "Hey, that fucking hurts!" She punched her in the face and yanked the crowbar out of her hands. She smashed it into the side of her head and threw it on the ground. "See?!" she yelled at the now unconscious girl.

"What the hell is this girl?!" One of the girls on the outer circle screamed.

"I'm a zombie, you dumbass!" She yelled as she ran at her. She jumped into a dropkick, planting both feet on her chest and knocking her to the ground. She stood up and looked down at herself. "Oh man, I've got blood everywhere!" She shook off her hands. "And these pants are brand new, damn it!"

"THEY'RE RED!" A girl behind her yelled angrily.

Saki turned to see the pickaxe girl back on her feet and coming at her again, this time spinning in a circle with it, slowly stepping towards her. She turned to a girl standing next to her holding a crowbar. "Yoink!" She took it out of her hands and chucked it at the pickaxe girl's head. It connected with a _THUNK_ and she spun to the ground. She turned to the girl she had stolen the crowbar from and punched her in the face. _Man, Reiko would have loved this!_

"Why the hell are you taking turns?! Rush her!" Misa shouted.

She faced the group. Around a dozen Korosuke members were all running straight at her, screaming. _Oh, crap! They're smarter than I thought!_ She looked around for something to use and spotted the maintenance platform running along the side of the tunnel. She quickly ran to it and climbed up on top of its railing. She turned and saw all the girls charging at her in one big triangle formation and jumped off, planting both feet on the girl in the front. She fell backwards with a domino effect and knocked over many behind her. She quickly stood up and stomped on the faces of the girls she had felled while punching the rest. Finally, she stood triumphant over a pile of dazed Korosuke girls.

There was the crack of a whip. "You and I aren't done!" Misa shouted.

She looked up to see her standing among the unconscious. "I don't know about that! Seems like they are!" She gave a cheeky smile and stepped off the pile.

She did not underestimate Saki this time. Immediately, she snapped her arm out to lash against her cheek.

"Whoa!" Saki exclaimed as she ducked under the crack of the whip. _I gotta get close!_ She started running to close the distance between them.

She gritted her teeth and started backing up. She threw out strike after strike, each one missing by a close margin.

Finally, she reached her and grabbed her by the collar of her shirt. She pulled her down to her level and smiled. "You Korosuke bitches are all the same."

She gasped. "You're not like the other Dorami girls. What's with you?"

 _So she knows I'm in Dorami, huh?_ She smiled. "You're not dealing with Maria anymore." She lifted up her fist to throw one final punch.

"Now!" A girl behind her yelled. There was a soft _schlick_ sound as the fire iron slid through Saki's abdomen.

She paused and looked down at the fire iron poking through her. She released Misa, dropped her fist, and stared down at it silently. _Oh…_

"Nice job, Taeko," Misa said. She smiled and softly grabbed Saki's chin. "We're gonna beat the information out of you, Nikaido. I recommend you start taking sooner rather than-" She was cut off as Saki delivered an uppercut to her chin.

"Damn, I forgot that I could live through this kind of crap…" She stepped forward and felt the fire iron slide back out through her back.

"No way!" Taeko yelled.

She turned and yanked the fire iron out of the girl's hands. She grabbed it by its end and swung the handle at the girl's head. It collided with a _thunk_. She watched the girl fall to the ground and turned back towards the boss.

Misa gritted her teeth. "You're not human…"

"No duh!" She yelled. "I'm not like you! Look at me, dumbass! My skin is green!" She gestured wildly. "If you think you can mess with us, you're wrong!" She threw the fire iron at Misa, hitting her in the forehead. She turned to one of the bikes. "I hope you're not using this."

She rubbed her forehead and watched in astonishment as Saki climbed onto the bike and started it. "I'll get you, Nikaido!"

"Yeah, sure!" She looked down at the gas gauge this time. _Oh, good. Almost full._ She twisted the throttle and pulled out of the circle, running over the pickaxe girl one final time. _Whoops! Almost forgot!_ She stopped, stepped off, and grabbed her jacket out from behind the red power box, and slipped it on. She strolled back over to her bike, turned back towards Misa, took a piece of chicken out of her pocket, and waved. "See ya later, Misa!" She popped the chicken in her mouth and sped away.


	52. The Change of Plans

The four girls stood parked under a streetlight on the right side of the highway, awaiting the return of Saki. Each leaned against their bike impatiently. They had been stopped for around 15 minutes.

"Look! There she is!" Lily pointed at a red figure speeding towards them.

Maria, Ai, and Junko looked up to see Saki skid to a stop before them.

"What the hell took you so long?!" Maria asked. "I was starting to get worried, damn it!"

Saki looked up, grinning from ear to ear. "Oh, man! You missed it! I just fought Korosuke!"

"You fought Korosuke?" Ai asked. "All of them?"

"Yeah! Look!" She held up her hands. Each had plenty of little splotches of blood on them. "And check this out!" She lifted up her shirt to reveal a clear hole through her abdomen. "I got stabbed!"

"Gross! Get it away!" Lily yelled.

Junko gasped and covered her eyes. "Don't show me that!"

"Oh, sorry," she said. She turned to Maria. "Anyway, let's get you home so I can go home and shower."

"I can go alone," Maria said coldly as she climbed onto her bike. "You all go to your house in Saga or whatever."

"Alright." She turned to the girls. "Let's go!" She sped into a U-turn and head back from where she came.

Maria watched the zombies speed off into the night. Once they were out of sight, she put her head in her hands and climbed off. "Ugh, what am I doing?" She sat down next to her bike and groaned. "The hell am I gonna do with this?" She stared into the night for a few moments and zoned out.

"Hey, Maria!" Saki yelled.

She scrambled to her feet. "Huh? What?!" She turned to see that the four zombies had returned. "What is it?!"

"I forgot to ask. You think we can have the day off tomorrow?"

She looked down. "Oh. Yeah, sure. Whatever."

She frowned. _Something's not right…_ "Hey. You alright?"

She looked up. "I'm fine, I just _…_ " She sighed. "Which do you think works out better, Korosuke knowing I stole one of their bikes or my mom knowing I stole one of their bikes?"

She put her hand to her chin. _Hmm, Korosuke would just take it back, but Reiko_ _would flip out. I'd rather just have her flip out._ "Probably your mom, but I wouldn't worry about that for more than one night."

"Huh?"

She smiled. "You should come to Saga and spend the day with us tomorrow," she suggested. "Y'know, 'cause you never go to school anyway."

Maria blinked. "Seriously?"

Ai shrugged. "I don't see why not."

"I suppose it is important for us to bond…" Junko said.

"You should come meet pappy!" Lily cheered.

"And I can mod your bike to look totally different," Saki added. "No one would be able to tell it was from Korosuke. If you want."

"Y-yeah! Totally!" Maria accepted, smiling. "When should I be there?"

"Uh…" She turned to Ai.

"Eleven," Ai said with a blank stare.

Saki turned back towards her. "Eleven!"

"Alright! I'll be there!" She smiled excitedly as she climbed back onto her bike. "See you then!"

The girls watched their human friend speed off.

"I swear, you all are lost without me," Ai sighed.

Saki smiled and took a deep breath. _Glad I've got someone who can fill the void you left, Reiko._ She turned and climbed onto her bike. "Let's go. We've gotta see how Obi-wan dies."

"He doesn't die!" She yelled. "Why do you two keep thinking he's gonna die?! He doesn't!"

* * *

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa!" Sakura yelled as she struggled to maintain her balance. She looked down at the road below flying past her nervously.

Kozue gritted her teeth. "Come on! How're you gonna knock down Saki if you can't handle a high-speed kick yourself?! You gotta be able to take it!"

 _That's right! I have to catch them!_ She looked back up at the girl who had kicked her and straightened herself out. "Sorry, Tae-chan!" She delivered a kick that sent her tumbling to the ground.

"Grauauagh!" Tae moaned loudly as she rolled across the concrete. One of her arms went flying.

She staggered slightly, but kept her balance and came to a regular stop a moment later. She smiled and looked up at Kozue. "That was good, right?!"

"Yeah! That's how it's done!" She cheered. She bent down and helped Tae to her feet. "Weird to see something you're better than Tae at, though."

"Graough…" she moaned as she climbed back up to her feet. She bit her mask again.

"You were great, Tae-chan!" Sakura yelled from her bike. "You just need a little practice with the kicks!"

She stuck Tae's arm back onto her shoulder. "Alright, then! I want you to take an hour or so and practice kicking. You should be able to teach her to knock you down."

"H-huh? Me? Why don't you?"

"Because teaching her how to kick requires falling over! And as a human, I can't do that as often as you can!"

"Oh yeah…"

"Besides, look who's here!" She pointed to the entrance of the driving school.

Sakura turned to see Misa with her arms crossed standing next to her bike. "Oh! Misa-san!"

"I'm gonna go talk to her. You teach Tae how to kick so she can knock down Saki." She climbed onto her bike.

She clenched her fist and nodded. "Okay! Come on, Tae-chan! Heel!"

Tae recognized the command and leaped onto her bike. She twisted the throttle and pulled up on Sakura's left.

"Alright! Here we go!" She twisted her own throttle and took off with Tae at her side.

Kozue nodded and twisted her throttle, sending her around the track at a leisurely pace. She pulled off a few meters from her boss. "Whoa, what happened to you?"

Misa sighed. "We had a run-in with Saki." It was evident. Her forehead had a massive bruise, her chin was swollen, and there was still an imprint of a boot on her midriff. "And as a result, plans have changed."

"What do you mean?"

"Saki was an incredible fighter. She's a natural." She put her hand to her forehead and winced as she felt her bruise. "She's a great rider, she's a great biker. She's everything I could ever hope to be."

Kozue stared up at her in silence.

She sighed. "We can't crush Dorami."

"Huh? But you've been trying to crush Dorami ever since you became the boss! That's, like, all you've been trying to do!"

"I'm not done," she continued. "We can't crush Dorami because we need to annex them instead. I can't afford to let an opportunity like this one pass. We have to recruit Saki and the other zombies to Korosuke."

"What?!" She looked back to the girls racing around the track. "But Sakura's working towards making them idols!"

"That's never going to work, and you know it."

She looked down. "I don't know. I'm just following orders."

Misa grabbed her by the chin and looked into her eyes. "Then you'll follow this one. You will continue to train Sakura under the impression that we will return the members of Dorami to her. We will use her to corner them and then we will recruit them. How soon will they be ready?"

Kozue gulped. "I'm giving them the final test tomorrow night."

She smiled. "Good. Then we'll challenge them on Tuesday night." She sat back down on her bike and turned it on. "I'm expecting results, Kozue. Don't disappoint me." She twisted her throttle and sped out of the lot.

She watched as her boss disappeared from sight. She turned back to the track, where Sakura was yelling commands at Tae and getting kicked repeatedly. She closed her eyes and sighed. "Come on, Sakura! If you wanna catch Saki, Tae's gotta be able to knock her over!"


	53. The Day Off

"Hey, Saki-chan! Wake up!" Lily softly patted her on the forehead. "It's time to get ready!"

Saki brought a hand up to her face and rubbed her eyes. "Jeez, is it morning already?" She sat up, stretched, and opened her eyes. She blinked to let her eyes get used to the light then turned to face the child who woke her up. "Alright, gimme a- GWAH!" She jumped to her feet and got into a fighting stance. "WHO THE HELL ARE YOU?!"

"Hey, calm down! It's only us," Ai explained. She wore her yellow t-shirt, her black jeans, and black socks. "These are the disguises Lily was talking about last night."

She stared suspiciously at the humans before her. Upon closer inspection, they did all resemble members of her team. They even all retained their crimson red eyes. _Oh, it is them._ She sighed a breath of relief. "Jeez, guys! Don't scare me like that!"

"You didn't recognize us, Saki-chan?" Lily asked with a cute smile. She wore a blue t-shirt, white socks, and khaki shorts that went down to her knees. "This is how I looked when we went to Kouno park!"

"Isn't it wonderful?" Junko asked, sporting her white t-shirt, blue jeans, and black socks. "Look at us!" She held her hands out in front of her. "I still can't believe this is real! Look!" She showed Saki her hands excitedly.

"Jeez, you're excited, huh?" she laughed. "Where do I get some?"

"Pappy will help you do it in the bathroom down the hall," Lily said.

"Ah, alright." Saki walked across the deflated air mattress and pushed her way through the other girls. She walked into the bathroom to find Lily's father sitting on the edge of the bathtub. "Yo! Takeo! Hit me up!"

He looked up at her. "Good morning, Saki. Is your stomach okay?"

She lifted up her shirt to reveal that she had already put bandages over the hole in her abdomen. "It's coming along." She lifted her hand up and felt the dent in her head from the crowbar. It was slightly less deep than it was when she went to bed. "Man, I guess zombies heal really fast," she observed aloud. She reached for her hairbrush on the counter and started running it through her hair. "So, how does this whole makeup thing work?"

He showed her a number of tubes, cases, and bottles on the toilet lid. "There's a lot to it. I'm going to teach you so you can do it yourself next time. I can't keep taking days off work," he chuckled.

"Alright," Saki said, continuing to brush her hair. She took a seat on the rim of the bathtub next to him. She could see herself in the mirror.

"Okay, so let's get started." He picked a tube off of the toilet. "First, you want to apply foundation. I'll just do your face and neck, and you can do the rest yourself when I'm done teaching you."

* * *

Saki emerged from the bathroom a new girl. She wore a black t-shirt, her red jeans, and black socks and she looked just like a regular human. She ran down the hall and ran into her and Lily's room. "Shrimpy, look at me!" she yelled to an empty room. _Oh, they're probably watching TV._ She sprinted down the hall and jumped over the railing down onto the first floor and landed on all fours. _Hahaha! I'm dead! I'm invincible!_ She climbed to her feet and ran into the living room, where Ai, Junko, and Lily sat watching some cartoon on TV. "Guys! Look!"

The three girls turned to see Saki standing before them with her arms outstretched and a wide smile on her face.

"Oh, good, you're ready," Ai said. She stood up and checked her phone. "Maria should be here any minute."

"You look so good, Saki-chan!" Lily yelled. She jumped off the couch and ran up to her. "We're humans!"

"Yeah! We're humans!" she yelled back excitedly. She couldn't stop smiling.

Junko smiled. "You're very passionate when you're excited, Saki."

"Oh, Saki!" Ai called. "Sakura's arm is upstairs in our room. What should we do with it?"

Saki looked up at her. "Oh, I forgot we had that."

"So did we, but then we got our clothes out of the backpack and saw it in there."

She put her hand to her chin. "Uh, you guys can do whatever with it, I guess. I don't care. Use it as a back scratcher for all I care."

"We should put it in the microwave!" Lily cheered.

"Jeez, that's dark!" Saki exclaimed in morbid glee. "I like it!"

"Huh?" Ai exclaimed as her phone vibrated. She opened it. "She says she's outside. Why doesn't she just ring the doorbell, then? Or knock?"

"She's here?! Oh man, wait 'til she gets a load of this!" Saki turned and ran back down the hall. She jumped down into the genkan and threw open the door excitedly to reveal her boss standing on the porch in a red t-shirt, black shorts, and grey sneakers. "Hey, Maria! Look at this!" She turned her head and fluttered her eyes. "Don't I look good?"

"Whoa," Maria whispered. "You look just like how you do in my mom's picture."

She smiled. "Pretty cool, right?" Her eyes naturally drifted to Maria's hair. "Oh, cool!"

"You like them?" she asked, bringing a hand to her hair's new purple highlights. "I did them last night."

"That's so awesome!" she cheered. "It looks sharp as hell!"

Lily appeared from around the corner. "Maria-chan! You're here!" She ran over to the door and hugged her. "Look! Aren't I cute?"

"Whoa," Maria whispered to herself again. "This is so weird."

"Weird?" Lily asked. She pulled out of the hug. "I asked you if I was cute!"

"I mean, you're cute, but…"

Ai and Junko appeared from around the corner.

"See! You all look just like you do on the internet! It's so weird! I mean, I saw you all look like this in pictures, but it's different in person!" She shook her head. "It's weird! I never saw you guys as actual celebrities until now."

"Former celebrities," Ai corrected her. "We're done being idols."

"Right, sorry." She straightened her back. "You guys ready to go?"

"Let me grab the backpack," Ai said. She turned and walked up the stairs.

Junko walked down to the genkan. "Maria-san, your hair is very pretty." She sat down and started putting on her boots.

Lily looked up and gasped. "Maria-chan! Your hair!" She reached up and touched it. "It's so pretty!"

"Thanks," Maria said. "I did it last night."

She sat down and started putting on a pair of sneakers. "I want something like that, Saki-chan."

Saki sat down next to her and slid into her boots. "Dying your hair is pretty big. You'll have to ask your dad."

She pouted. "Lame."

"Hey, I'm not gonna go behind his back to dye your hair. He's a good dude."

She finished tying her shoes, took out her phone, and started typing on it.

Ai walked back down the stairs with her backpack. "Alright, is everyone ready?"

"Just waiting on you," Saki replied as she stood up and walked out the door. She stood next to Maria.

"Oh, sorry." She sat down and started putting on her boots. "I think we should get clothes first. Then we can all split up and get whatever else we need in groups." She turned to Lily. "Do you have the money?"

She put her phone back in her pocket, stood up, and nodded. "Yeah!" She joined Saki on the porch.

She looked at Saki. "You're wearing socks, right?"

"Uh, yeah, why?"

"The makeup makes it look like we don't have toes."

"Huh? No it doesn't. What're you talking about?"

"That's only true if you bandage the whole foot at once, Ai," Junko reminded her as she stood up. "Saki probably doesn't."

"Oh yeah," Ai said. "You wrap each toe individually? Why?"

She shrugged. "I like to wiggle 'em. Besides, I only have to wrap one foot."

"I guess that makes sense," she sighed. She finished putting on her boots and stood up. "Alright, let's go!"

* * *

Maria and Lily sat outside the dressing rooms next to a pile of shoeboxes. The three others had each chosen a changing room and each only stepped out occasionally to receive modern fashion advice from the two. While Ai and Saki didn't have too many issues with fashion, Junko was having a hard time not looking tacky while still remaining comfortable. This was their seventh trip to the dressing rooms.

"Of all the construction machines, I think excavators are probably my favorite… I've been in an excavator before," Lily informed Maria. "I like excavators a lot, but they didn't have any, so I got the steamroller instead." She held up her phone and pointed to the charm on it.

"I think I like the ones that you use with your hands more," Maria rebutted. "Jackhammers and stuff. That's way cooler."

"No way! Those ones shake-" she stopped mid-sentence as her phone vibrated and its screen lit up. She looked down and read what it said. "Saki-chan! Pappy says I can get highlights!"

"Cool!" She yelled from within the changing room. "Ai! Junko! Are you guys gonna?"

"I wasn't really planning to," Ai said, "but now that everyone else is, I'm not sure. I might."

"I'll do it if Ai does," Junko answered.

"That's fine," Saki replied. "You guys do whatever."

Junko's door opened again. She stepped out wearing a blue and white striped shirt and light brown shorts. "Does this look good?" She asked nervously.

Maria held up a thumbs up. "See, now you're getting it!"

She smiled in relief. "I think I'm finally understanding modern summer fashion." She stepped back into the changing room and closed the door. "I think I have enough clothes…" she observed.

"You're done?" Ai asked.

"I think so."

Ai and Saki immediately stepped out of the dressing rooms with relieved smiles on their faces. Each held multiple coat hangers with garments hanging from them on their arms.

"I thought she'd never be done," Saki whispered.

"Well, she's from a totally different era…" Ai replied quietly. "It's like she time traveled thirty years into the future."

She sighed. "At least we got everything sorted out."

Maria and Lily stood up and each grabbed a stack of shoeboxes. The group stood there awkwardly while they waited for Junko to emerge from the dressing room.

"So, where are we all going after this?" Ai asked.

"I need to go to a hardware store to get some tools for modding bikes," Saki replied. "Maria, you should come with."

"Oh, I need to get a nail gun," Ai remembered.

"You were serious about that?" she asked.

"It's not that bad a weapon," she defended. "If I get an electric one, I can just charge it at night."

"How are you gonna carry it around?" she asked. "Those are pretty big."

"Maybe I'll modify my jacket to have a slot for it on the inside," she answered. "Sayama sewed the kanji into your jacket, right?"

"Uh… I dunno."

"She did," Maria answered for her.

"Do you think I could get her number?" Ai asked.

"Wow, you're really serious about this whole nail gun thing," Saki observed.

"I mean, Junko bought a butterfly knife online last night while you were in the shower," she replied.

"She did?"

"I did," Junko replied from within the dressing room.

"Huh. Well, anyway, you can come to the hardware store with us once we get these back home." She turned to Lily. "What about you, Shrimpy?"

"I'm gonna get highlights!" she cheered. Her eyes just barely peeked over the stack of boxes she was carrying.

"No, Shrimpy, you gotta wait to do that. You're not going alone."

"I'll go with her," Junko offered.

"Okay, nevermind," she said. "You can go. But just buy the dye. You can apply it yourself. Don't pay any of those damn stylists to do it for you."

"Wait, how are we gonna get these home?" Ai asked. "We can't fit all these in our bikes." She gestured to their many coat hangers and dozens of shoeboxes.

"Oh crap," Saki replied. "I didn't think of that. I guess we'll have to make multiple trips."

Junko stepped out of the dressing room. She had a similar amount of coat hangers on her. "Why don't you call Go-san? He has a car, right? He can pick them up."

"Oh yeah," she said. "Shrimpy, get on that."

"Okay." She dropped all the boxes on the floor and took out her phone. Multiple boxes opened and shoes spilled onto the floor.

"Awh, don't just drop them!"

* * *

In a bustling Starbucks, Shinta Okoba sipped his coffee and stared down at his laptop. The piece he had been assigned was a stupid feel-good story. Normally he was a sucker for feel-good stories, but he had uncovered a massive conspiracy unfolding before his very eyes and nothing else mattered to him at the moment. The only issue was that the one connection he had to the story had literally closed the door on him and he didn't have nearly enough information to be satisfied. He sighed and held the cup up to his lips again.

"Dude, did you hear about the zombie biker girls?"

Shinta nearly spit out his coffee. He turned to see two kids in line talking to each other.

"The ones who robbed everyone who went to Maeda's ass-beating? I heard about it. No way it's true, though."

"No, dude, like, the stories actually all match up. I didn't think it was real, either, but everyone fucking swears it happened. I dunno. Riku's even in the hospital right now. Apparently he got kicked super hard in the gut."

"When was this, again?"

"Yesterday in the park over by the library."

"Pfft. Yeah, I'll believe it when I see it."

Shinta smiled to himself. Seems like he had just found a new lead.


	54. The Afternoon

"Why do these ones look totally different from those ones?" Saki asked, pointing to two sections of blowtorches.

"I think those ones use butane, and those ones use propane," Maria answered.

She picked up one of each. "I wonder what the difference is…"

The three girls stood in the middle of the metalworking aisle. Their cart was full of various tools for shaping and welding as well as one weapon. They had a portable band saw, a press brake, a small die grinder, a meter stick, a small rubber mallet, and an electric nail gun with plenty of compressed air tubes and nails.

"I'd just use what you know," Maria suggested. "Whatever you used to make your old ones."

There was a chiptune ringtone behind them. Ai pulled out her phone. "It's Lily." She pressed a button and put it up to her ear. "Hello?"

The two turned to Ai.

"Oh, Junko! No, I'm still at the hardware store," she answered.

Saki shrugged and looked back to the torches. "I'll get a propane one, then." She put back the butane torch and put the other one in their cart.

"I'm still undecided," Ai said into the phone. She turned away from the other two.

She stood up. "I think this is everything. We'll get scrap metal from the junkyard."

"You think so?" she asked Junko. "Hmm, I might. If you think it would look good, I guess I'll come see."

Saki turned back to Ai and raised an eyebrow. "What's she asking, Ai?"

She put her hand over the receiver and turned back to the others. "Junko found a color she thought would look good on me," she answered.

"Cool. Go for it."

She uncovered the receiver. "Sure. I'll come check it out. Have Lily text me where you are." She paused briefly. "Okay." She paused again and blushed. She turned away from the other two and spoke softly. "Love you, too."

Saki snickered softly. _Oh man, that's so cute!_

Ai shut the phone and looked back towards her, flustered. "D-don't laugh!"

"I wasn't!" she lied. She was still smiling.

Maria rolled her eyes with a smile. "Alright, you two. Let's go." She grabbed the cart and started pushing it towards the front. "You think we can get these back alright?"

"Most of that stuff will fit in our bikes. I'll just hold the rest in my lap. We'll drop Ai's nail gun off at the house then go to the junkyard. There's one nearby that seriously has a ton of scrap just laying around."

"Don't forget to get your puffy jacket," Ai reminded her. "You don't want to ruin another shirt. You already got stabbed through one."

"Right." She put her hands in her pockets. "I wonder what Korosuke is up to now…"

"Who cares?" Maria asked. "They act like they're hot shit, but they're all stupid."

"Damn, you got that right," she laughed. "You know, every single one of them used a weapon. And none of them even knew how to use 'em."

"Really?" Ai asked.

"Yeah! One of them was using a pickaxe!" she laughed. "You can't use a pickaxe as a weapon! It's too damn heavy! Damn, Korosuke. So stupid."

"They really piss me off sometimes," Maria said.

"Same."

"You know what pisses me off?" Ai asked.

"What?"

"My birthday was three weeks ago. We were revived two weeks ago. That means I'm gonna have to wait an entire year until my next birthday." She groaned. "I died in August! That means when I finally turn 27, it'll have been a year and a half for me since I had my last birthday!"

"Oh damn, I hadn't even thought about that…" Saki put her hand to her chin. "Hey! Cool! My birthday gap is only six months!"

"Screw you," Ai scowled.

Maria laughed. "It's weird to think that you two are legally adults."

"We're legally dead," she reminded her.

"Well… yeah, but… if you were still alive, you'd be way old. How old is Junko?"

"Fifty-four," she answered.

"She could be a grandma!" she laughed. "She's twice your age, and you're dating her!"

"H-hey! Physically, we're only three years apart!" Ai yelled defensively. She was blushing brightly.

"Whoa, we can blush through the makeup?!" Saki asked. "That's awesome!"

"Huh? We can? I am?!" She covered her face with her hands.

Maria laughed. "It's so weird to think that you guys are all zombies. At first glance, no one'd be able to tell."

"Yup. Kinda makes you think," Saki said as she put her arms behind her head, "if this is what Shades was gonna do, it might have actually worked."

"Ha! Maybe if any of us actually wanted to do it," Ai reminded her.

"You think Sakura's still looking for us?"

"Maybe. We haven't seen her since we rescued Lily."

"Maybe she gave up," Maria suggested with a shrug.

"Yeah, she was way too preachy to give up, I think. She's probably still out there looking for us."

Saki laughed. "She's not a threat to us anymore. She never was, really. First Sakura, now Korosuke… nothing can take us down!"

* * *

Sakura awoke as the door to the apartment opened. She looked up to see her roommate walk in. It was too dark to see anything aside from basic shapes, but she could tell by her hair. "O-oh! Misa-san! Good morning!"

Misa gave her a confused look. "Morning? It's two in the afternoon, Sakura."

"Oh. Good afternoon! Why are you home so early?"

She walked into the kitchen. "I'm getting some more ice packs," she answered as she opened her fridge. She reached in and pulled out two ziploc bags filled with water that had frozen.

"Ice packs? Did someone get hurt?"

Misa lifted one of the bags to her forehead and shut the fridge. "You could say that, yes." She winced as the ice touched her skin. "Several of us."

"What happened?"

"We had a run-in with… a certain troublemaker last night. She landed some hits on us."

"Oh! Is there anything I can do to help?"

She smiled. "You're too kind, Sakura. You're already doing more than enough."

She tilted her head in confusion. "I'm already doing more than enough? What does that mean…?"

"I guess we'll just have to wait and see." She chuckled softly to herself. "Get some rest. If all goes well, your training will be completed tonight. You'll need that to capture Saki Tuesday night."

Her question flew out her head. "Right!" She laid back down on the couch and closed her eyes. _I'm going to get them back!_

* * *

Saki turned on the bike and looked down at the dashboard. All the analog gauges spun to life before her. She bit her lip. _Okay, good… the wiring is okay… but are the lights?_ She pressed a button and the gauges were instantly backlit. She sighed in relief. "Thank god," she muttered to herself as she turned the gauges back off. She wiped her brow, smearing the makeup she was already sweating through. She stood up and stared down happily at her handiwork. "Yo, Maria! I think yours is done!"

Misa's former bike was unrecognizable. Instead of the round, smooth red and purple body it had originally, it now wore a slim crimson body that left much of its engine exposed. The seat was higher and had a back to it, its rear was pointier, and its front was propped up at a sharper angle and was more rigid. The suspension had also been replaced so it sat higher above the ground and the bottom of the engine now could be clearly seen. It also had completely different exhaust ports, but only two of them actually served their intended purpose; the others were for show. It was a completely different bike.

"Wow! Awesome!" Maria gushed. There were stars in her eyes.

"Go take it for a test ride," Saki said. She tossed her the keys. "Actually, go get one of the other bikes while you're at it. I gotta start on theirs." She turned and looked at her own bike, which she had been modifying simultaneously. _Guess I gotta do the wiring in that one, too…_

She climbed onto her bike and leaned back in her new seat. "Alright!" She revved her engine. "Crap! That's a lot louder than before!" she yelled.

She turned back to Maria. "WHAT?!"

"I SAID IT WAS A LOT LOUDER NOW!"

"WELL, YEAH! THE ENGINE IS EXPOSED!"

"HOW ARE WE SUPPOSED TO TALK WHILE RIDING IF WE CAN'T HEAR EACH OTHER?!"

"HAND SIGNALS!" she shouted, wiggling her fingers. "I'LL TEACH YOU THEM LATER! GO BACK TO THE HOUSE AND BRING ME ANOTHER BIKE!"

She nodded and sped off.

 _Phew, I'm glad it works._ She turned back to her own bike, on which she had sprayed the first layer of paint hours prior. _Welp, time to get spraying._

* * *

Maria pulled into the driveway and turned off her bike. "Whoo!" she cheered excitedly to no one in particular. She took a happy breath and stepped off. She walked along the front path to the house's porch to find Junko on the steps staring into the sky with a smile on her face. "Oh, hey Marshmallow!"

She looked at her warmly. "Maria-san!"

"Whatcha up to?"

"I'm relaxing," she explained. "It's been so long since I could just sit outside and enjoy myself." She looked back up to the sky happily.

She looked up at the afternoon sky. It was slightly cloudy and birds were chirping. "Well, Saki wants you to go at the junkyard so she can start working on your bike."

She closed her eyes. "Ah, I see." She took a deep breath of relaxation. "Then let's go." She stood up and stretched, taking her time getting herself ready.

"You're really slow for a biker, you know that?"

She opened her eyes and looked towards her. "I feel it's better to enjoy life as you live it. Or, rather, enjoy death as you live it, since I've already died." She reached into her pocket and pulled out her key.

"You think I should bring the others?"

"Oh, they're busy at the moment. It's best not to interrupt them. I could grab one of their keys, though, so we can take their bikes."

"Yeah, sure."

She turned and walked into the house. She sat down in the genkan and started removing her boots silently.

"So… I guess you guys all just live here now. With Lily's dad."

She looked up and smiled. "Yes, it's nice, isn't it?" She slipped off one of her boots. "I'm very glad at least one of us still has living relatives."

"You don't have any?"

She looked down. "I've been dead for over thirty years. I have no idea where any of my old family is."

"Huh? Old family? You mean you have a new one?"

"Well, Saki, Ai, Lily… I don't really have anyone else." She slipped off her other boot and stood up. "I guess I kind of consider them my family."

"Oh."

She turned and walked up the stairs. She turned the corner and knocked on the bathroom door. "Ai, Maria and I are taking your bike to have Saki modify it," she said through the door.

"Okay," Ai replied.

"Are you gonna do mine, Junko-chan?!" Lily asked excitedly.

"Hey! Be careful!" Ai yelled. "If you move too much, the dye will mix in with the rest of your hair!"

"No, not yet," Junko replied. "We'll do yours once she's done with mine and Ai's."

"Lame," Lily sighed.

Junko turned walked back into her room and took Ai's key off the dresser. Then she walked down the stairs, handed Maria the key, and started putting her boots back on. "How is your family?"

"Tsk!" Maria sulked. "Who cares about them?" She turned away from her.

She frowned in pity. "You aren't on good terms?"

"Hell no. I don't wanna talk about it."

She finished putting on her boots, stood up, and walked out onto the porch. "Are you sure? Talking about it will probably help quite a bit."

She sighed and leaned on the porch railing. "I'm fine."

Junko glanced at her concernedly. After a long pause, she spoke softly. "If I were you, I'd appreciate the family you've got now. You never know when you'll suddenly lose them." She looked down. "I wish I could have spent more time with my parents before I died."

She turned in confusion. "Huh? But you've got a new family."

"That doesn't mean I don't miss people from the old one," she said. "I have no idea where they are… They could be deceased… I miss them very much." She stared at the ground sullenly.

Maria stood and watched her awkwardly. "I… s-sorry…"

She looked back up at her. "Sorry for what?"

"Sorry you… lost your family. It must be hard."

"Thank you." She looked up to the sky. "It is quite upsetting, but I can't keep thinking about the past. No one else is." She looked back at Maria and smiled. "Enjoy death as you live it, right?"

"R-right."

"Your parents care about you. You shouldn't take that for granted." She turned and walked down the steps. She turned into the garage and disappeared. A moment later she reappeared with her bike. "Well, this one is Ai's. You can tell by the large scratch on the left side." She stuck its key in the keyhole, turned back around, and walked back into the garage.

Maria walked down the steps, sat down on the bike, and looked behind her to see Junko walking out another bike. "You ready?"

She sat down. "Yes." She turned on her bike. "You lead the way."


	55. The Family

Saki groaned as she walked through the front door. "Jeez, what a day…" She closed the door behind her, locked it, and sat down in the genkan. She started untying her boots. The house was dark, so she was operating only off the light her own eyes produced. _Damn, this is pretty cool._ She had stayed out way longer than she had planned to. Unfortunately, because she had to paint her bike before she started modifying it, she had to wait a full twelve hours to even start changing its body. Junko and Maria had returned Ai and Lily's bikes back to the house several hours prior. It was now 4:22 AM. She was tired and sore and covered in paint and grease and she wanted nothing more than to just crawl into bed after a nice cold shower. She slipped off her first boot and grunted as she moved onto the next one.

There was a gasp from the top of the stairs. "She's here!"

She turned slightly to see a pair of glowing red eyes speeding down the stairs. "Huh?"

"Saki-chan! You're back!" Lily jumped into a hug.

She could feel her heart beating against her head. "Well, yeah, of course I am!" She shrugged the child's arms off of her. "The hell are you doing awake so early in the morning?"

"Zombies don't need to sleep! Besides, we have something to show you! Let's go upstairs!" She turned back to her and tugged on her arm.

"Hey, I gotta get my boots off first! Relax, will you?" She shook the child off of her and turned back to her boot.

"Fine…" she crossed her arms and pouted in the dark. "Slowpoke."

Finally, Saki got off her second boot and stood up. "Alright, now we can go." She turned and walked at a leisurely pace up the stairs.

Lily bolted up the stairs on all fours. Once she reached the top, she bounced up and down. "Come on, Saki-chan! Come on!" She turned and ran into their shared bedroom. "Here she comes! Move over!"

"Ow!" Ai exclaimed. "Be careful!"

"Sorry, Ai-chan!"

 _Jeez, what's going on?_ She slowly walked down the hallway to their room. She opened the door to see three pairs of glowing red eyes on Lily's bed across from her. "The hell are you all doing?" she asked as she took off her jacket and threw it to the ground.

"Turn on the light!" Lily yelled.

She flicked on the light to reveal that Ai, Lily, and Junko were each sitting on the bed across from her with wide smiles on their faces. Lily's hair had bright lines of neon green shooting through it. Ai's hair started black on the top but faded into a crimson red hue as it reached the bottom. Junko's was similar to Ai's, but with navy blue instead. Their makeup had all been washed off and they all sat before her in their new pajamas.

"Ta-da! Whaddya think?! We did it for you, Saki-chan!" Lily cheered.

Saki stood staring with her mouth agape. She clasped her hands together as tears started forming in her eyes. _They all actually did it?_ She stepped onto the air mattress and slowly walked up to the girls.

"I think she likes it," Junko observed.

She stopped right at the edge of the bed. She sniffled. "I love you guys…"

Lily jumped up and hugged her. She pressed her heart into her sister's waist. "I love you too, Saki-chan!"

"Aww!" Junko stood up and wrapped her arms around both of them. "I love you all, too."

Ai got up and joined in on the group hug. "I feel the same way."

The group fell over together and landed on the air mattress. They all started laughing together.

Saki squeezed her new family and closed her eyes, grinning from ear to ear. _There's not a damn thing that will ever take this away from me._

* * *

Sakura stared out into the Matsuura river. The cool night wind breezed by. _This is what I've been working towards…!_

Tae, Kozue, and her were all stopped beside a bridge for a train line that ran across the river beneath a streetlight. It was just around the corner from the driving school.

"All right. I'm gonna tell her the rules now. Start time when I say go," Kozue instructed into her phone. She held the phone away from her, leaned down, and looked into Sakura's eyes. "Alright, zombie. This is your final exam." She held up a piece of paper in her other hand. "This is the map of the route Saki took when she stole Misa's bike. You have thirty seconds to memorize this. Throughout the route you will encounter two toll booths. You will drift under the bars without stopping. At the end of the route is a parking garage. You will ride off the top of it and land on the roof of the building next door. Time stops when you land on the roof. If you don't finish it within two minutes, you fail. Any questions?"

She raised her hand shyly. "What happens if I fail?"

She clenched her eyes shut and sighed. "Saki gets away."

She gritted her teeth and nodded. "Right!"

She handed Sakura the piece of paper. It was a map of Karatsu with a route drawn in red marker. "Your thirty seconds starts now."

She quickly scanned the map. The city layout was familiar to her, but she didn't have time to dwell on why. _Okay, so they're having me start here, and I go straight for a while, then I cross at the footbridge, and then- wait, they're having me drive across a footbridge?_ She shook her head. _This is the route Saki-chan took! I have to follow it! So I get off the bridge and take a slight left turn, then there's a parking garage on the right that should have a way onto the building next door. Now to get onto this footbridge, I'll have to ride up some stairs, which means I'll need to do a wheelie right when-_ Her train of thought was interrupted as the paper was ripped from her hand. "H-hey!"

"Time's up!" Kozue held the paper above her head.

"Was that actually thirty seconds?!" she asked angrily.

"Yup!" She nodded. "Hope you learned the route!" She glared at the other zombie. "Tae! Follow!" she yelled, pointing at Sakura.

"Grauuuge!" Tae yelled back.

"Alright! You ready?!" she asked.

"No!" Sakura screamed in a panic.

"Then say goodbye to Saki!" She yelled. She pulled the phone in close to her face. "Three!"

She snapped back to attention and stared straight ahead. _Saki! Ai! Junko! Lily!_

"Two!"

She bent her body over to make herself more aerodynamic. _I hope you're ready!_

"One!"

She took a deep breath and lowered her eyebrows. _I WILL get you back!_

"GO!"

She yanked back on the throttle at full force. She jerked back in response, but kept her balance. She quickly peeled out and sped down the street. The first section was a long straight part, so she continued to tug on the throttle until she was at the maximum speed her bike could handle. The engine roared in pain. She stared straight ahead and followed the road perfectly. Soon, she was watching buildings fly by. She ran red light after red light. She was not concerned about traffic laws. She cleanly wove through perpendicular traffic as she concentrated on the road before her. _Stay focused!_

"The hell are you doing?!" a man in a truck yelled from his window.

"GRAAAUUUUUAGAGHH!" Tae screeched behind her.

She gritted her teeth as she sped onto a bridge crossing the mouth of the Matsuura river. _Here comes the first turn!_ She started applying pressure to her brake. Gradually, she slowed to around 65 kilometers per hour and prepared herself to turn. She came to the end of the river and saw the toll booth. _Time to drift!_ She leaned into a sharp right turn, her knee mere inches from the ground. She slid under the bar with ease. She straightened back up and immediately turned right. In the corner of the parking lot sat the entrance to the footbridge. She slowed down slightly so as to not overshoot, turned left, and popped a wheelie. Her bike's wheels gripped the stairs and she successfully shot up them. She landed and quickly turned into the direction the bridge ran. She picked up a little speed and looked ahead. At the end there was a hole in the fence covered up with caution tape. She clenched her teeth together. _I've got to do what she did!_ She rode straight through the police tape and she and her bike fell to the street below.

"GRUUOOUHGH!"

She grabbed the police tape and threw it off of her. She twisted back her throttle again. _I'm almost there!_ She took a slight turn and watched her right. _There it is!_ She turned sharply into the parking garage and rode under the bar without even thinking about it. She quickly made turn after turn, climbing her way to the top of the structure. Finally, she reached the roof. She looked around. _Huh? Where am I supposed to jump off? The only building next door is that one, but there's no exit!_ She rode in a circle around the top of the structure in a panic. _What do I do? What do I do?_

"Sakura! Over here!" Misa yelled.

Sakura looked over her shoulder at her boss, who was standing next to a large crack in the concrete wall.

"Do a wheelie and jump over the barrier with your bike!" She yelled.

"What?! Are you insane?!" she screamed as she completed another circle with Tae behind her.

"You're a zombie! You can do it!"

"Why on Earth would I be able to do that?!"

"Because Saki did it!"

She gasped and looked toward the crack in the barrier. _That's what that is!_ She put on the most determined face she could muster. "I'm going to get them back!" she screamed. She leaned back on her bike and felt her weight shift. Her front wheel lifted off the ground. "Because… we are idols!"

Misa stepped out of the way.

"We… will save… SAGA!" she yelled triumphantly as her bike crashed into the barrier. She and the bike tumbled through the air. After what felt like an eternity, Sakura came crashing down on the roof next door. Her bike landed next to her. She stared down into the gravel roof she had faceplanted into.

"GRAOUGH!" Tae yelled as she did the same thing. She and her bike went flying through the air. Finally, she landed right on top of Sakura and her bike landed on top of hers. "Grahg!" After a moment, she stood up. "Ghakeuura!" She cheered.

Misa applauded the two of them. "Well done, Sakura! Excellent job, Tae!" She reached into her pocket and produced some fried squid. She tossed it onto the roof next door.

Tae leaped and caught it in the air. She landed in a squat and started chewing on it immediately.

"One minute, thirty four seconds," she said. "Not bad! You're ready!"

Sakura rolled over and looked up into the sky. She sighed a breath of relief. _Tomorrow night is the night… The night I get them back!_


	56. The Comfort

Saki's vision was flooded with a barrage of morning sunlight. She squinted and started to raise her arm to cover her eyes, but she found that Lily was grappling onto it next to her. _Oh…_ She started to raise her other arm but found that Ai was tugging on that one. She pouted and instead just closed her eyes. _Might as well just enjoy the moment…_ She took a deep breath. _Looks like I forgot to take a shower last night…_ She yawned.

"Okay, are we all awake?" Ai whispered.

"I think so," Junko replied quietly.

"I am," Lily piped up.

Saki snickered. _Of course._

"We should probably get up then…"

No one moved. The four of them lay together on the deflated air mattress, taking long, satisfied breaths.

"What time is it?" Ai asked.

"Who cares?" Junko whispered back.

"Well, we do have things to do today."

Lily opened her eyes and looked up at the digital clock that sat on the nightstand next to her bed. "8:10." She put her head back down and buried it into Saki's shoulder.

"Oh, good."

The four of them lay in tranquil silence, enjoying one another's company in the warmth of the morning sun.

The sound of a camera shutter went off behind them. "Oh, whoops…"

The four of them twisted around to see Takeo standing in the doorway holding a smartphone sideways in his fingers.

"Sorry, girls…"

"Pappy!" Lily jumped out of bed and hugged him. "Good morning!"

"Good morning, Masao. Lily." He looked up at the rest of them. "Sorry to ruin your moment."

"It's fine," Junko replied.

"Was it a good shot?" Ai asked.

He smiled. "It was." He put the phone back in his pocket.

Lily bounced up and down with her arms still wrapped around his waist. "Pappy! Are you gonna be here for breakfast?"

He leaned down and patted her on the head. "I wish I could, but I've got to get to work!" he smiled sweetly. "I can't keep taking days off for you." He looked back up towards Saki. "Thank you for taking care of her."

"Don't worry about it," she replied casually. She sat up and stretched. "I heard we were having breakfast?"

"I don't have much food, but you're welcome to help yourself," he said. "I wasn't expecting to take in three extra children when I went to the store on Friday," he chuckled. "Is there anything you need before I go?"

"I think we're good," Ai said.

"Alright, then I'm off to work." He ruffled up Lily's now bicolor hair. "Be safe."

"Okay!" she exclaimed. She released the hug and stepped back into the room.

"Goodbye, girls. Have a fun day in Karatsu." He walked down the hallway and disappeared from sight.

She turned away from the door and sat back down on the air mattress. She had a big smile on her face.

"It's weird to see your dad be so massive and you be so small," Ai observed.

"I take more after my mom," she explained. "Her picture's downstairs if you wanna see her."

"Damn, if you're Shrimpy, then he's a shark," Saki snickered.

She pouted. "But sharks are mean, and Pappy's nice! Pappy isn't a shark!"

"Sharks aren't that mean, actually," Ai pointed out. "They rarely ever attack humans."

"Well, they're mean to the fish," she rebutted.

"Can't argue with that," Saki shrugged. "They are mean to the fish."

"Are we the fish in this case?" Junko asked.

"Damn it, I dunno! I didn't think that far ahead with the joke!"

"Well, you did say Lily was a shrimp, so what would we be?" Ai asked with a hand to her chin.

"Saki-chan would be a clownfish!" Lily yelled. "Because she's so funny!"

"The hell's a clownfish?"

Ai gasped. "She hasn't seen Finding Nemo!" She shook her head. "Okay, we have to watch that."

"The list of crap I haven't seen is, like, a kilometer long! Even longer for Marshmallow!"

"Yes, but I know what a clownfish is," Junko protested.

"Damn it, guys! I'm not some kinda fish expert," she groaned, "I'm a biker! I know biker things! Not fish things!"

"Well maybe you should learn more fish things," Lily suggested.

"You guys are ridiculous…"

* * *

Saki flipped open the garage door panel and typed in the code. _061099._ She pressed the button labeled 'Open' and took a step back as the garage door pulled itself up.

Lily gasped as her bike came into view. "Wow, Saki-chan! They look so good!" She ran under the door and climbed onto one of them. She leaned back in the new seat. "Cool."

The four bikes looked nothing like the Korosuke bikes they had started as. Each one had received a new seat with a back as well as new exhaust ports. Behind each seat was a large storage compartment. They were also all slimmer and taller and their engines were now exposed on the bottom. Their ends were sharper and their dashboards were at a steeper angle. They even had new hubcaps.

"Wow, you did a really good job on these," Ai commented. She walked up and touched one of the bikes. "Which one's 's mine?"

"Shrimpy's sitting in it," she said, climbing onto the rightmost bike.

"Oh, sorry, Ai-chan," Lily said as she climbed off the bike.

"Don't worry about it." She put her nail gun in the storage compartment, sat down on it, and bounced up and down. "Wow, these seats are a lot more comfortable…"

"Yeah, those Korosuke bitches don't know a seat from a landmine," Saki chuckled.

Junko sat down on her bike. "They're much louder, though…"

"Oh yeah, I gotta teach you guys hand signals."

"Hand signals?" Ai asked. "Can't we just yell at each other?"

"Not when the engine is exposed like this. Makes it way louder. You guys know any hand signals?"

"Ooh, I know one!" Lily cheered as she climbed onto her bike. She sat down and held up her fist, extending only her middle finger. "This is an American thing! I've seen it in tons of movies!"

Ai started laughing hysterically. "Do you have any idea what that means?" she asked between breaths.

"Nope!"

She leaned in and whispered into Lily's ear.

Her smile dropped. "Oh."

"You shouldn't use that unless people make you really mad," she explained. "And even then, only do it when they can't touch you."

"What? What does that mean?" Saki asked.

"I'll tell you later," she sighed. "What hand signals do we need to know?"

"Oh, hold on." She rolled her bike forwards into the driveway. She stuck her left arm above her head and pointed up. "This means 'let's ride'." She held her hand still and extended her fingers. "This one means 'follow me'." She split apart her fingers. "This means 'split up'." She extended her arm to the side and swatted with her hand. "This means 'prepare to slow down'." She stopped swatting and held it still. "This means 'prepare to stop'." She held her arm back over her head and rolled her wrist in a circle. "This means 'surround someone or something'." She turned back to them. "That's really all we need for now. I'll teach you the rest later." She turned on her bike and its engine roared to life.

"Whoa, loud!" Lily yelled in shock.

"She wasn't kidding!" Ai shouted back.

Saki turned her bike back off. "If we really need to talk to someone while riding, you gotta be right next to them or not be pulling the throttle. Got it?"

The three girls nodded and rolled their bikes out of the garage.

"Alright, then let's roll!" Saki held her hand above her head and pointed. She heard the sound of engines starting behind her. She turned on her own, peeled out, and sped down the road. She looked in the mirror to see Ai, Junko, and Lily hot on her tail. _Welp, here we go again!_

* * *

Maria sat in the parking lot of the Seven-Eleven on her bike, munching on a rice ball she had bought. She reclined in her seat and put her feet up on her dash. The new bike model was really comfortable. She looked up to see four red bikes pull into the lot and skid to a stop before her. "Oh, there you are." She took another bite of her rice ball.

"I see you're comfortable," Ai said.

"Yeah, these bikes are really nice," she said clearly despite her mouth being full. "Way better than they were-" She cut herself off and swallowed the food in her mouth. "Oh damn, nice hair, you three."

Lily smiled. "Thanks!"

Junko blushed. "You like it?" She raised a hand to her hair and flipped it dramatically. This gathered a snicker from Ai.

"Yeah, it looks good." She lowered her feet off the dashboard and put them on the ground. She stood up. "So, what's the plan for today?"

"Probably just go around staking territory claims again," Saki said. "We spent, like, all our money yesterday."

"Yeah." She paused for a moment. "Hey, Saki. The goal is to take over Kyushu, right?"

"The whole damn country," she corrected her.

"Right. But, uh, how are we gonna do that with only five people?"

She laughed. "We aren't! We'll get more members and spread ourselves out."

"How do we get more members?" Ai asked. "Do we recruit people we think have guts?"

"People come to us. We get popular, people find us, the best of them join us." She turned to Maria. "You got any idea how notorious we are?"

"We're an urban legend at this point," she said. "We need to cause more trouble in order for people to really notice us."

"And new members will just show up?" Ai asked.

"Well, they'll do something to get our attention, and I'll ask them for their guts. If they pass, they're in. If they don't, they're out." Saki looked up to the sky and reminisced. "I remember when Hammerhead joined…"

"Hammerhead?" Junko asked.

"Yeah. Girl had some serious guts."

"What did she do?"

"Well, we called her Hammerhead for a reason. I went up to ask for her guts and she headbutted me." She brought her hand to her forehead. "She knocked me out. It was hilarious." She lowered her hand to her chin. "Wonder where she is now…"

"So, basically, keep doing what we're already doing and people will just show up?" Ai reiterated.

She snapped out of her thought and turned back to Ai. "Yeah, pretty much."

"Then let's get to work!" Maria cheered, throwing her fist in the air.

"Yeah!" The four zombies yelled, slipping on their sunglasses.


	57. The Reconnaissance Mission

Sakura lifted up her glasses. "I don't understand why I have to wear these…"

"It's quite simple," Misa explained, "your eyes glow in the dark. We don't want them seeing us, now do we?"

"Oh, right." She dropped the sunglasses back over her eyes.

The two of them hid behind a dumpster in an alleyway across from a park. Earlier in the week, this place had reportedly been the site of a mass mugging by Dorami. It now sat mostly empty aside from the six Korosuke members, each out of uniform, playing Poker at one of the park's many tables. There were also two boys hanging out nearby who seemed to only be interested in seeing the gang of zombies make an appearance.

"Do you really think they'll show up?" she asked nervously.

"Relax, Sakura, we've only been waiting for half an hour."

She sighed. _I know, but it feels like we've been waiting forever…_ She looked down at her green sleeve. _I hope I get my arm back…_

She gasped. "Sakura! Listen!"

She perked up. "Huh?" She heard the distant sound of motorcycles getting louder. "O-oh! Is that them?!" She looked out into the street and eagerly awaited the group's arrival.

"Stay low," she instructed. "We don't want them to know we're here."

She squatted down behind the dumpster. She watched as five red motorcycles appeared and parked outside the park. "Is that them?"

"Shh!"

Finally, she caught a glance at the girls. Her eyes widened. _Did they dye their hair? No! How can you be an idol with that hair?_

"Hm, Maria has a new look…" Misa brought her hand to her chin. "I wonder what Saki has done to her."

"H-huh? You think Saki did something to her?" she turned in shock.

"Shh! We'll watch and see."

She stared back at the girls. _What are you all doing? You brought Lily-chan with you?!_

"Alright, you guys ready?" Maria asked.

Ai nodded. "Let's do this."

The five stepped off their bikes in perfect sync. Maria stood in front and the zombies all stood in a line behind her. They slowly started walking into the park.

"They've been practicing," Misa observed.

 _If only they put that practice toward something productive… Wait, what are they doing?!_ She gasped and stood up.

"Get down!" Misa whispered loudly. She yanked her back down. "Do you want them to see us?!"

"B-but they can't go out in public like that! None of them have any makeup on! They're gonna get themselves blown up!"

She put her hands on her shoulders. "If they've survived this long, I'm sure they won't get blown up from an encounter with… them." She motioned to the two boys, who were each handing Maria 5,000 yen notes. "Be quiet, we need to hear what they're saying."

She turned back to the girls in the park.

"Can I touch one of them?" one of the two boys asked.

"Hell no! Get your own zombies, idiot!" Maria yelled. She turned to the girls sitting at the table. "You six! You playing poker or something?!"

"Yeah," one of them said. She glanced up at her. "You want in?"

"Hell no! You think you can just play here, huh?! This is Dorami turf!"

Saki put her hand on her chin and squinted.

"What's the big deal?" another girl asked. "This is a public park."

"It's our park, idiot!" Maria snapped and the four zombies surrounded the table. "Now, you're gonna pay up, or we're gonna make you pay up!"

"You can't do this!" a girl yelled as she stood up.

Saki gasped and turned to her boss. "Maria! These girls are Korosuke!"

Sakura stared. "What?! How can she tell? She's not even in uniform!"

She started laughing hysterically. "Guys, remember the pickaxe girl I was telling you about?!" She pointed at the girl who was standing up. "That's her!"

She turned to Misa in a panic. "How does she know her?!"

She sighed. "Remember how I said we got into a fight with a certain troublemaker?"

Her face shifted into one of frustration. "You mean you already fought Saki?!"

"We were chasing a bike thief that turned out to be her!" she defended. "I think she stole ours and sold them so they could buy those new ones."

She turned back to the action at hand. It looked like all the girls were laughing at the members of Korosuke. "Still, you didn't tell me?"

"It wasn't important. We'll still take care of them all the same tonight."

 _It wasn't important…?_

Saki pointed to a different girl. "Look! That one's the girl whose crowbar I threw at her!" She continued cracking up.

"Are you gonna take our money or not?" the pickaxe girl asked.

"Nah," Maria said between bursts of laughter, "Misa would probably come after us if we messed with you guys. We'd be digging our own grave." She bent over in front of the pickaxe girl. "Not like you would know anything about digging, huh?"

Saki howled with laughter. "Nice one!"

Lily high-fived her.

"They're not even doing anything," Sakura sighed, "they're just roasting them." She groaned and laid her head down on the lid of the dumpster. "This is pointless…"

"Not entirely," Misa said optimistically.

She looked up. "Huh?"

"Now we know that they've sold our bikes, they all dyed their hair, and Maria is still the boss. Not to mention that she's lost those two friends of hers."

She cocked her head. "What are you talking about…?"

She brought her hand to her chin. "Now, we can counter Dorami's strategies a lot better tonight." She closed her eyes for a moment in thought. "Do zombies have any specific weaknesses?"

"H-huh? Um, I guess our limbs can fall off, but that's about it…"

"Maybe…" She shook her head. "No. That's too risky…" she muttered to herself incoherently.

Sakura turned her attention back to the zombies in the park.

"And these three!" Saki pointed to three girls around the table. "These ones were my bowling pins!"

One of them pouted. "Hey, I didn't go down that easy!"

"Oh, my bad! Didn't mean to STRIKE a nerve!"

The group broke into contagious laughter. Even some of the Korosuke girls were laughing at this point.

Suddenly, Ai froze. She glanced at Maria, then at Junko and Lily. "Maria, can I talk to you for a second?"

"Uh, yeah, sure," she replied.

She grabbed her by the shoulder and spun her around. She started whispering something to her.

Maria's eyes shot open. "Crap, you're right!" She turned back to Korosuke. "Hey, you guys know how many people Dorami has?"

The pickaxe girl brought her hand to her chin. "Um, there's you five, and then… I thought there were two more? The ones who always hid behind you."

"Wait, you knew there were four zombies?" Ai asked. She shot a glance at Saki.

"Well, yeah. Saki, Ai, Lily, and… the other one." She scratched her head. "Sorry, I don't remember her name."

Maria slammed down on the table. "How the hell do you know that?!"

The girl glanced between Maria and the alley Misa was hiding in nervously.

"Why the hell do you keep looking over there…?" She turned and peered down the alley.

Sakura gasped. "Misa, they know we're here!"

Misa snapped out of her funk. She looked up to see Maria pointing to their hiding spot and commanding Saki to go investigate. "Oh, dear…"

"What do we do?! What do we do?! What do we do?!"

She pushed her down. "Stay here. Don't move a muscle, don't make a sound. I'll deal with her." She stood up and walked around to the front of the dumpster. "Saki! So glad to see you again, dear."

"Misa! The hell are you doing here?!" she replied angrily. "How the hell do you know so much about my team?!"

"Whatever happened to pleasantries? I said hello, the least you could do is be polite."

"Cut the crap! Tell me! How the hell do you know about them?!"

"We simply had a number of sightings reported to us," she lied. "Your little stunt here on Sunday brought you all a lot of attention."

"Then how the hell do you know their names?! How the hell did you know my name?!"

She laughed. "You think we're stupid? Your death is remembered well in both Dorami and Korosuke. As for the others, they're rather famous, don't you think? They were bound to be recognized eventually."

"I'm getting real sick of your tone," she said through gritted teeth. "You Korosuke bitches make me sick." She paused. "What the hell are you even doing here, spying on us?"

"Reconnaissance."

"The hell does that mean?"

"Watching you to learn how you think and act."

There was the sound of clothes being grabbed. "I should beat the crap out of you right now."

"Saki, don't!" Ai yelled from the street.

"Why don't we settle this in a different way?" Misa asked.

"What're you suggesting?"

"Why don't you meet us in the Kagamiyama parking lot at midnight?"

She laughed. "Are you challenging ME to a game of chicken? ME?"

"I am," she replied provocatively.

There was a brief silence.

"The biggest mistake you ever made," Saki said smugly.

"I'll see you then, Nikaido."

She laughed one last time and turned back to her crew. "Alright, guys! Let's get outta here!"

"What did you just agree to?!" Ai yelled.

"Relax, Bandages! I'll tell you all about it. But we gotta get outta here for now."

Sakura looked up to see Misa standing above her with her hands on her hips. "Was that it? Did you just do it?"

"Stay down," Misa commanded through gritted teeth.

"You're gonna be sorry you messed with Dorami!" Maria shouted.

"I'm sure I will," she replied with a sly smile.

One after another, Dorami's engines roared to life. The five of them sped away.

"Now you can come out," she said. She extended a hand to help Sakura to her feet.

She ignored it and pushed herself up. "Okay, so what's your plan?"


	58. The Late Lunch

"So what you're telling me is that they want to go at a game of chicken… with the girl who died from being too good at chicken." Maria rubbed her temples. "Are you fucking serious?"

"I know, right?" she cackled. "I knew Misa was dumb, but I didn't think she was THAT dumb."

The five girls sat in a circle on their bikes. They were parked underneath the structure supporting the main Karatsu train line a kilometer or so from the park. The afternoon sun hung low in the sky. It was around 3 PM.

"So, what did you wager?" Ai asked.

Her laughter stopped. She put her hand to her chin. "I… don't know. I don't think we wagered anything."

"That's weird…" she said. "Do you think there's something more to it?"

"Do you think she recognized the bikes?" Junko asked shakily. "What if it's a trap?"

"Maybe she just wants to play chicken with you, Saki-chan!" Lily suggested with a smile.

Saki smiled softly. "Yeah, I don't think so, Shrimpy. There's always some reason behind a game of chicken."

"Maybe she just wants to beat the legend of chicken to make up for you kicking her ass?" Maria pointed out.

"Maybe." She put her hand down. "Either way, I'm gonna kick her ass again!"

"Yeah!" Lily cheered, throwing her fist in the air. "I wanna see her cry!"

"That's what I'm talking about!"

"Wait, you said this was at midnight, right?" Ai asked.

"Yeah."

"That's pretty close to Lily's curfew, don't you think? I think we should take her home beforehand."

Lily pouted. "What? No! I wanna see the chicken fight!"

Saki patted her head. "Ai's got a point, Shrimpy. I made a promise to your dad. Gotta get you home by one."

"I seriously hate this!"

"I'll record it for you, Lily," Maria said, holding up her smartphone. "Then you can see the video afterwards."

She stared at her for a second. "Okay…" She crossed her arms and pouted. "But Misa better cry!"

"I'm still worried it's a trap," Junko piped up. "I don't think we should go…"

"No, we have to go," Maria rebutted. "If we don't, then they won't even bother next time. They'll just attack us."

"I don't want to go," she said. "What if something happens?"

"Hey, it's fine," Saki assured her, "we only really need three of us." She turned to Ai. "You going with us?"

She swallowed. "If I don't, then Junko has to, right?"

"Yeah."

"Then I'll do it."

"Ai!" Junko stood up. "You can't!"

Ai stood up and looked into her eyes. "Hey, don't worry. I'll be alright. I've got my nail gun and Saki in case anything goes wrong. Chances are, we'll just be watching Saki ride off a cliff again."

"Are you sure you'll be okay?"

"Totally sure."

She paused and stared up at her. "Okay." She pulled her into a hug.

Saki glanced at Maria to find her already eyeing at her. _This is awkward…_

Finally, the two broke apart and sat back down on their bikes.

"So, it's decided, then," Maria concluded. "Saki, Ai and me will go. Junko and Lily will go home."

"Right," Ai said.

"This sucks," Lily commentated, still pouting.

Junko stared nervously at the ground.

Saki brought her hand to her chin. _There's one thing I still can't figure out, though… if they already knew about all four of us, then who the hell were they talking about at Drive-In Tori?_

"Well, you guys wanna get something to eat?" Maria asked.

"Um, sure, I'm down for a bite."

"What are we eating?" Lily asked.

"I dunno," Maria replied. "You wanna get some sushi?"

"Sushi sounds good," Ai said, "but we don't have our disguises. We can't go to a sit-down restaurant if it doesn't have private rooms."

"Uh… well… there's a McDonald's nearby…"

Lily stood up. "Really?!" She started parading around the circle. "McDonald's! McDonald's! McDonald's!"

Saki joined in. "McDonald's! McDonald's!"

"I guess we're going to McDonald's…" Ai sighed.

* * *

Ai and Maria walked into the burger joint together. They entered the queue to have their order taken and waited impatiently.

"What do you want?" Maria asked.

"I don't know, I never really had fast food much when I was alive."

"Well, decide quick. We're next in line."

"Relax, would you? I've only had this stuff once or twice, and I never chose what I got."

"Seriously? You never had McDonald's?"

"As an idol, the rules about what I could and couldn't eat were really strict."

"I can help the next customer!" a teenage boy yelled from the counter.

Ai and Maria stepped forward.

"Welcome to McDonald's, how can I help you?" he asked without a hint of enthusiasm.

Maria looked down at her phone and read off her and the other zombies' orders. "Can we get… uh… big mac with no onions or pickles, a 10-piece chicken nugget, a southwest salad, a double cheeseburger, two large fries, a medium drink, a milk, two bottles of water, and whatever she wants." She motioned to Ai.

Ai stared up at the menu. "Um… can I just get a regular burger?"

"Okay. Anything to drink?"

"Water's fine."

He tapped on his screen a bit. "A name?"

"Dorami." Maria held up one of the 5,000 yen notes she had just collected moments prior.

He gave her a weird glance then looked back down. "Is this for here or to go?"

"To go." Her eyebrows lowered. She didn't like holding the money out for so long.

He tapped on the screen a bit, took the money, and started getting their change. Eventually, he handed her back several notes and coins. He also produced a cup from under the counter.

"Thank you," Ai said, taking the cup.

Maria shoved the money into her pocket and started walking away from the counter. "You know, you could have looked at the menu beforehand like everyone else. They have them online now."

"Well, excuse me! That wasn't really a thing when I was alive." She turned to the soda fountain and filled the cup with orange soda. She walked back to where Maria was standing. She plucked a fork and several packets of ketchup from the condiment bar and pocketed them.

The two of them stood impatiently in the pickup area.

Maria's thoughts naturally drifted to what Junko had said the day before. She glanced at the zombie next to her. "Hey, Ai."

"What is it?"

"Do you ever miss anyone from when you were alive?"

She stared at her a moment then sighed. "Yeah, I do." She looked away. "I think about the people I left behind a lot."

"Your family?"

"Yeah." She looked down. "I guess I never really got to say goodbye. It's weird, how fast your life can just fall apart. One moment, you're onstage, in the middle of a solo, and the next you're in a mansion getting attacked by a zombie." She paused briefly. "The hardest part, though, is seeing how much people are hurt after you're gone." She crossed her arms. "Interview after interview… ones with Iron Frill, ones with my family… they're all so sad." She looked back up at her. "It hurts knowing that there's nothing you can do."

She stared at her in silence.

"I could get in contact with them," she continued, "but they'd never believe it was me." She shook her head. "They all gave me such a great life… I wish I could have just told them one last thing before I died. Thank them for all they did for me. Tell them I love them. You know?"

"Yeah…" she replied quietly.

She sighed. "But the past is the past. Can't keep thinking about that stuff or it'll ruin your life. Or your death." She frowned. "Ugh, I sound like Junko when I do that."

"What, mention that you're dead?"

She smiled. "She takes something someone says and goes, 'Oh, but we're already dead', and now I've started to pick it up. It's so stupid that it's cute." She blushed.

"Wait, you blush through the bandages, too…" Maria pointed out. "What the hell?"

"I am?!" She covered her face with her hands again.

She rolled her eyes and looked back towards the front of the store. "You like your new family, though, right?"

She peeked out between her fingers. "New family? You mean Saki, Junko, and Lily?"

"Yeah."

She put her hands down. "Yes, I like them. It's hard not to when they've given you everything you have." She put her hand to her chin. "New family, though?" She paused. "Yeah, I guess I would call it that."

"Order for… Dorami!" a man yelled from behind the counter.

Maria and Ai walked up to the counter to collect their food. Maria started collecting the bags and Ai put the orange soda in the cupholder next to the water bottles.

"Did he say Dorami? Is that them?" a voice asked behind them.

Ai turned to see a group of four teenage girls staring at her. One of them had a huge smile on her face. She gave them a confused glare.

"Oh my god! That is them! Look at the right one!" the smiling girl yelled. "That's the bandages one!"

Maria turned around with two brown paper bags in her hands. "The hell's going on?"

"We just got recognized," Ai answered.

She glanced at the table of girls. "You think we should do something or…?"

"I think we should just go."

"Alright. You get the drinks."

The two of them turned and walked out the door.

"Wait, no, they're leaving!" The one who had yelled climbed over her friend to get out of the booth they were sitting in.

"Harue! Get off of me!" she yelled.

The girl tumbled onto the floor and scrambled to her feet. She rushed out the door just in time to see Ai and Maria speed off. "No!" She bit her lip and ran after them.

* * *

The five sat in their circle behind the electrical supply store next door.

Saki bit into her big mac. "Mmmm…" she moaned instinctively.

"So good," Lily added as she inhaled another chicken nugget.

"This salad is… interesting," Junko commentated, poking one of the leaves with her fork. It flattened out, then slowly regained its shape.

"Yeah, fast food salads typically aren't the best quality," Ai explained, "but they're healthier than most of the other stuff on the menu."

"You don't even need to eat healthy anymore," Saki pointed out. "You're a zombie. It's not like you can get health problems. We can eat whatever we want."

"I know, but I like the taste of a salad," Junko replied defensively.

"You guys think you can eat poisonous shit?" Maria asked.

Ai shrugged. "Possibly. I wouldn't want to try it, though."

"I'll try," Saki said with a daring grin.

"You would," she laughed.

"Here, someone gimme a battery or something," she joked.

Lily threw a fry at her. "Don't eat batteries, Saki-chan!"

"Hey, I was kidding! Jeez!" she held up her hands in self-defense. "I'm not actually gonna!"

"Well, don't." She pouted and shoved a fry in her mouth while glaring at her.

"I don't think we should take any chances," Junko said. "We already know so little about our own anatomy… who knows what anything could do?"

"One thing I have noticed," Ai pointed out, "is that it becomes a lot easier to remove your limbs if you're actually intending to."

"Really?"

"Yeah. When Sakura pulled off my arms, it took a lot of force. But last night, my back itched, and I couldn't reach it, so I decided to just… you know…"

Maria laughed. "You ripped off your own arm so you could scratch your back? That's hilarious!"

"Yeah, but it came off super easily. It was kind of scary."

"I'm afraid to take off any of my limbs," Junko said quietly. "I'm worried that if I remove them, I won't be able to put them back on."

"Dorami! Are you around here somewhere?!" a distant voice yelled. It sounded like a teenage girl.

Saki perked up. "The hell is that?"

"I think that's one of the girls from McDonald's," Ai said. "She must have followed us here."

"Should we ignore her?" Maria asked.

"What? No! We gotta go see what she wants!" Saki put her burger down on her seat and stood up. "Come on, everyone! Get up!"

There was a collective groan.

"Hey, I don't wanna hear it! We gotta go see what this chick wants! It'll help our image."

Maria boxed up her burger and stepped off her bike. "Alright then, let's go see what this chick wants!"

"Lame," Lily commentated. She closed the box of nuggets and set them down on her bike.

"If it'll help our image, I suppose we have to," Junko sighed. She stood up and put the salad down.

Ai took one last bite out of her burger before she set the box down. "Okay," she said through chunks of meat, "now I'm ready."


	59. The Zombies' Biology

Maria peeked around the corner of the store.

A petite black-haired girl in a red sweater, a black skirt, and green sneakers with a backpack was running around frantically. "Dorami?! Are you here?" she yelled between quick breaths.

She turned back to the zombies behind her. "Okay, don't come out until I snap, got it?" she commanded quietly.

"Right," Ai replied.

"Okay." She stepped around the corner. Her demeanor immediately changed. "Yeah, whaddya want?!"

The girl looked at her and gasped. "Dorami!"

"Yeah, don't wear out the name! Whaddya want?"

"Um, I heard that… well, this is gonna sound stupid, but… I heard that you had… actual… zombies?" She looked around. "There was a bandage one, a short one, a stitches one, and a regular one… Are they here now? I was just in McDonald's! I saw the bandages one!"

Saki raised an eyebrow. _I'm the regular one?_

She glared at her for a second, then held up her fingers and snapped. She was soon backed by the four zombies. "These the ones?"

She jumped up and down excitedly. "Yes! Yes! Yes! Are they real?!"

She turned to Ai. "Should I tell her you're real?"

"I'd say yes," she replied.

She turned back to the girl before her. "Yeah, they're real! What about it?! Why do you care?!"

"Oh, sorry! I guess I should introduce myself!" She bowed. "Harue Yamamoto! Paranormal enthusiast! At your service!"

 _Paranormal enthusiast?_

She shot a glance back at Ai, who shrugged. She looked back at the girl. "Uhh… nice to meet you?"

"You have no idea how long I've waited to actually get into something paranormal!" She started walking towards them excitedly. "How did you resurrect them? Who are they? How long ago did they die? Did you get all that food for them? Do they-"

"Shut up!" Maria yelled, cutting her off. "You don't make any damn sense! Back the hell up!"

She stopped. "Sorry! I'm just so excited to see some real zombies!" She raised her hand to her chin. "Why are they all wearing sunglasses?"

"You don't get to ask the questions here!" she yelled. "Just who the hell do you think you are?!"

"I told you, I'm Harue Yamamoto, paranormal enthusiast!" she replied with a grin.

She glared at her, annoyed. "Okay… Is there anything you actually want from us?"

"I want to study the zombies!" she yelled excitedly. "I want to see how they work and what they can do! I want to see if they remember anything from when they were alive!"

She stared at her blankly. "Uhh… gimme a sec." She turned to the zombies. "Huddle. Now."

The group turned and fell into a circle. They rested their arms on one another's shoulders.

"What do you guys think?" Maria asked.

"Who is this girl? I don't trust her," Ai said.

"I don't want to be studied," Junko added.

"She's weird… I don't like her," Lily commented.

"Yeah, I think we should just get outta here," Saki concluded.

"Okay," Maria said. "Break."

The huddle broke and they all got back into formation.

Maria took a deep breath and cleared her throat. "They-"

"They're conscious?! They have thought processes?!" She ran up to Junko and looked into her eyes. "Do they crave brains?!"

"Eep!" She raised her arms up to cover her face and took a step back.

"Get the hell away from her!" Saki yelled. She stepped out of line and pushed the girl backwards. "The hell's your problem?!"

She gasped. "So coherent! What's this one's name?!"

"Hey! Listen to me when I'm talking to you!"

"A whole range of emotions, too? This is interesting!"

Her face twisted into a mess of anger and confusion. _This girl is fucking clueless…_ She turned back to Maria. "This is pointless. Let's get outta here."

Ai grabbed Junko by the arm and pulled her away from Harue. "Are you okay?"

"I'm alright… She just startled me, that's all."

The five turned away and started walking back to their bikes.

"I knew this was stupid," Lily pouted.

"W-wait! You need me!" Harue yelled.

Maria turned to face her. "Need you?! The hell do we need you for?!"

"I-I can study them! I can tell you what they're capable of! You're not using them to their fullest potential! I can help you get there!"

"Yeah, no, I think we're good. Buzz off!"

"Wait!" She took a notepad out of her pocket and started writing. She tore off the sheet and handed it to her. "Here. In case you change your mind. PLEASE change your mind!"

She took it and looked down at it. She had written a phone number. "Alright. Now, seriously, get the hell outta here."

She backed up nervously. She turned and walked away, continuing to peer over her shoulder at the zombies.

She shoved the note into her pocket. "Geez, the hell was with her?"

"She was very short-sighted," Junko pointed out.

"The hell does she mean 'fullest potential', anyway?" Saki asked mockingly. "We're fine as is."

"That was stupid… I wanna go back to eating," Lily said.

"Yeah, yeah," Maria sighed. "I was hoping it'd be someone wanting to join."

"Well, they'll show up sooner or later," Saki reminded her optimistically. "You just gotta weed out the crazies."

"She was bizarre," Ai commented. "I didn't think about people who would be so interested in us physically."

"Well, how could you not?" she replied, putting her hands behind her head and sporting a smug grin. "I look hot as hell!"

"That's not what I meant…"

Finally, the group reached their bikes. They all sat back down and continued eating.

"Man, what a waste of time…" Saki groaned. She took another bite into her big mac. "Like we aren't already taking advantage of the fact that we're zombies. That's, like, our whole reputation. The less people know about what we can do, the better."

"Well, it's not like we can do a whole lot, anyways…" Ai pointed out as she put a fry into her mouth. "Most of our abilities are pretty passive."

"Not having to sleep or eat is nice," Junko added, "but it's not very useful, and we still feel a physical toll as a result."

"But we don't age!" Lily pointed out happily. "I'm twelve forever!"

Maria stared bluntly. "I thought you were eighteen."

"I am! But I'm also twelve!" she cheered with a smile.

"Just like how I'm twenty-six, but also sixteen," Ai pointed out. "How old are you, huh?"

She blushed angrily. "I-it's none of your damn business how old I am!"

"I'm embarrassed about my age, too," Junko piped up. "I really should be an old lady by now."

"Yeah, but now you're a zombie!" Lily yelled supportively. "So you get to stay cute forever! Like me!" She poked her cheeks and grinned.

She smiled warmly. "You certainly are cute, Lily-chan."

Maria held up her water bottle. "You know what I think is the coolest part of your bodies?"

"What?" Ai asked.

She pointed to her face with two fingers. "Your eyes. That bright red, glow in the dark shit. That's so cool."

"Oh yeah! I forgot about the eyes!" Saki yelled. "They're awesome! I used them as flashlights last night!"

"Seriously?" Ai asked again. "I didn't think they were bright enough to do that."

"Well, I had to hold them really close, but it still worked."

"I miss my old eye color," Junko sighed. "It was so pretty."

"Your eyes are pretty now, too," Ai said, leaning towards her.

She blushed. "Thank you. Your eyes are lovely, too." She reached for Ai's hand.

Ai grabbed Junko's hand with her own and stared into her eyes lovingly. She held the burger up to her mouth and took a bite without breaking eye contact, which made Junko laugh.

 _Damn, they're cute together._ She took another bite of her own burger and stared at the three zombies before her. _Once you get over the whole zombie thing, they're all really cute._

Lily pulled her phone out of her pocket. "Oh!" She tapped on the screen a bit. "Everyone, look! Pappy sent me the picture he took!" She turned her phone around so the group could see. On the screen was the picture Takeo had taken in the morning. The four zombies were laying together on the air mattress with wide smiles and the sunlight on their faces. Saki still had makeup and red paint on most of her body.

 _Oh my god… that's adorable._

"Aw, that's adorable!" Maria said. "Did you guys all just pass out right when Saki got home?"

"Well, it was really late," Ai explained. "Like, 4 AM, right?"

"That sounds right," Junko confirmed. "We all were really tired, and we must have all fallen asleep together."

"I thought zombies didn't need sleep," Maria said.

"Well, we don't. We just all just sort of let ourselves fall asleep," Ai explained.

"Man, you guys and your zombie things are weird…" She shoved the last of her burger into her mouth. "You guys wanna go back out on patrol after this or do you think we're done?"

"Well, we still have to do chicken tonight," Ai pointed out.

"I know that, dumbass. I meant for them." She gestured to Junko and Lily.

"Oh. Well, I guess I still have to go meet Sayama and have her sew my nail gun pocket in."

"I'm fine with whatever," Saki shrugged. "We already got, what, 40 thousand? That's pretty decent for a Tuesday."

"Yes, I think we've done enough for today," Junko added.

"Think you can get back to the house by yourselves?"

"I know the way!" Lily cheered. She started shoving the rest of her fries into her mouth.

"Alright, then we'll split," Maria said. "Shrimpy. Marshmallow. You're done for today."

Junko released Ai's hand. She stood up and put her salad box in her bike's storage compartment, then turned back to her. "Ai…"

Ai stood up.

Junko hugged her. "Be safe."

"I will." She gently ran her fingers through her hair. "Nothing bad will happen. Trust me."

"You better send me the video, Maria-chan!" Lily said.

"Yeah, I will. Don't worry about it."

Junko and Lily sat back down on their bikes. They walked them out of the circle and looked back one last time. Lily waved and smiled, while Junko simply stared. Finally, the two started their engines and sped out of sight.

Maria sighed. "Alright, let's get going."


	60. The Long-Awaited Reveal

The three girls sat on the beach staring out into the sea. They were on the north end of Karatsu on the opposite end of the forest highway 347 ran through. The night sky was obscured by a layer of clouds and the only source of light illuminating the beach came from the moon. "It's midnight soon," Ai pointed out.

"You nervous?" Maria asked.

"Sort of." She squeezed the nail gun, which now sat in a large interior pocket in her jacket. "I still think there's something more to the challenge."

"What, you think they'll attack us or something?"

"I don't know. That would be pretty stupid. I just have a bad feeling about this."

Saki shrugged. "Whatever those Korosuke bitches throw at us, we'll have no problem dealing with." She sighed. "I still think it's just a game of chicken, though."

"You sure you're okay riding off the cliff again?"

"Yeah!" she grinned. "This time, I've got a plan! I'll stand up on the bike and brake, so I go flying and the bike doesn't. That way, we don't have to steal another, because it won't explode."

She laughed. "You're way better at dealing with your death than I am with mine."

"Yeah, well, I dunno. Dying's just a thing I did that didn't really work out. You make a mistake, you gotta get up and keep going!"

"Exactly."

She stood up. "You guys ready?"

"Let's get this over with," Ai sighed. She stood up slowly. Her movement was somewhat impaired by the presence of the nail gun in her pocket.

Maria climbed to her feet. "Aw, there's sand all over my jacket."

Saki snickered to herself. "I don't like sand. It's coarse, and rough, and it gets everywhere."

"What?"

"You forgot irritating," Ai pointed out.

"Damn it," she whispered. "I almost had it."

"The hell are you talking about?" Maria squinted.

"It's a Star Wars reference." She climbed onto her bike. "It doesn't matter. Let's go." She felt a shiver go down her spine, but her smile remained. _I have a bad feeling about this, too._

* * *

The three Dorami bikes pulled into the dimly lit parking lot and skidded to a stop at one end. Across from them was all of Korosuke, bikes and all. Misa stood in front and the rest of the girls stood in a large circle behind her with their hands behind their backs. The three girls took a second to shoot each other some quick glances then stepped off their bikes and walked forward. The two zombies removed their sunglasses to face the boss before them.

"Well, you finally made it," Misa said with a smile. "We've been waiting quite a while."

"Cut the crap!" Maria yelled. "Let's get this over with so we can go home!"

"Oh, is it past your bedtime?" she belittled.

She gritted her teeth. "You can take all that crap you're talking and cram it. Saki's gonna beat your ass even harder than she did on Sunday."

Saki smiled and banged her fists together. _Alright! Time to show this chick who's boss!_ She walked up to Misa. "You Korosuke bitches never know when to stop, do you?"

"I could say the same for you, Miss Rode-Off-A-Cliff."

The crowd of Korosuke girls behind her let out a collective "Ohhhh!"

She rolled her eyes. "At least I actually know how to fight. How's that bruise doing?" She looked up smugly at her forehead.

"It's doing better," she replied. "How's your hole?"

"Whoa, that's personal!" she yelled. She grinned as the girls behind her let out a small snicker. "You ready to lose or what?"

"Oh, Saki, dear…" she smiled and shook her head. "I'm not your opponent."

"Huh?"

"She is." Misa stepped to the side and pointed to the circle of Korosuke girls.

From the middle, one girl with glowing red eyes emerged. Sakura scowled as she once again came face-to-face with the one who had caused this whole mess. "Saki."

The look on Saki's face was not one that could be accurately represented by any combination of words in the English language. The best description of it possible is that it was a gross amalgamation of shock, confusion, laughter, and dumbfoundedness. "Huh?"

"Sakura is your opponent. I believe you two have quite the history," Misa said with a sly smile.

 _Huh?! What the hell is she doing here?! She joined Korosuke?!_ Her mouth hung agape in disbelief.

"Sakura?!" Ai yelled in shock.

"No way!" Maria yelled as well.

Finally, Saki started laughing hysterically. _Oh my god! This has to be a joke!_

"H-hey! Stop that!" Sakura yelled, now flustered.

Ai walked up behind her with her hands in her pockets. "See? I told you something was off about this."

Saki slapped her knee. "Oh my god, this is too good! This is priceless!"

"This girl again?" Maria asked. "Isn't she the one we rescued Shrimpy from?"

"That's her," Ai answered. "What're you doing here, Sakura? What do you want?"

"I'm bringing you back home!" she replied, determined.

"Back home? That mansion is not our home."

Saki wiped a tear from her eye. "Oh my god, this has to be a joke!"

"Stop laughing!" Sakura shouted suddenly. She clenched her fist. "Why don't you take anything seriously?!" After a moment of eyeing them angrily, she paused. "Hold on a second. Where are Junko-chan and Lily-chan?"

"They went home," Maria said. "Lily's dad wants her back by one every night."

Her eyes shot open. "Her dad?! You told her dad she's alive?!"

"Well, she's not really alive…" Ai reminded her smugly. "She's still dead."

Maria laughed. "Nice!" She high-fived her.

Sakura groaned. "Will you stop?! That wasn't even a joke!"

Finally, Saki regained her composure. "Alright, Misa. I'll give you that one. You got me good. Now, who am I actually going up against?"

"Sakura," she replied blankly.

Her smile faltered. "Huh? You're serious?"

"Yes."

Her smile dropped and she stared at her for a second. _Seriously?_ "Yeah, no. I came here to crush you, not her."

"I never said that I'd be the one doing it."

"It was kind of implied," Ai remarked.

"This is stupid," Maria pouted. "I can't believe I came all the way out here at fucking midnight to see this."

"Let's get outta here," Saki said. She turned and started walking back towards the bikes with her hands in her pockets.

"H-hold on!" Sakura yelled. "You can't just leave!"

"Uh, yeah I can!"

She glanced over at Misa. "Plan B?"

She nodded. "Plan B." She held up her fingers and snapped. Suddenly, the crowd of Korosuke girls behind her was no more as they had all retreated to their bikes. "You aren't going anywhere, Nikaido!" she smiled as a circle of bikes formed around the three girls, each of their riders brandishing a weapon proudly.

Saki groaned and turned around. "Seriously? The hell do you want with us? What're you doing this for, Misa?!"

"To bring you back to being an idol!" Sakura yelled as she made her way into the circle. "Whatever it takes!"

 _I didn't ask you, dumbass. I asked Misa._

"Yeah, that's not happening!" Ai replied. "Just let us go back home!"

"I'm trying to bring you home! Your real home!"

Maria leaned in and whispered to Saki. "What do we do?"

She looked around. _Damn it! I can't fight them with these two here! We have to run!_ She turned back to Maria. "We'll handle this. You just follow us out." She turned to Ai. "Nail gun time."

She swallowed. "Just for intimidation, right?"

"Right. Follow my lead." She straightened up her back and walked up to Sakura. "You really think we're gonna go back to that shitshow?"

"If you don't, I'll make you," she replied coldly.

"So you admit it's a shitshow," she said smugly. She looked down at her sleeve. "I bet you miss your arm, huh?"

"Huh? Oh, yeah. Where is it?" Her concentration faltered for a moment.

In her second of weakness, she shoved her to the ground. "Now!" she shouted. She ran across the circle back towards their bikes. "Come on!" She grabbed Maria and Ai by the wrists and led them towards the line of Korosuke girls.

"Stay back!" Ai ordered as she pulled out her nail gun and aimed it at them. The wall of bikers quickly fell away at her command and she and the others ran right out the circle.

Sakura sat up and gasped. "No!" She scrambled to her feet and turned to Misa. "It's time for Plan C!"

"I agree!" she replied. She turned towards the three bikes that had been left out of the circle. "Tae!" She pointed at the fleeing Dorami girls. "Sic!"

Saki, Ai, and Maria climbed onto their bikes and immediately turned them on. "LET'S GO!" Maria screamed as she looked up at the horde of Korosuke girls speeding toward them. She twisted back her throttle and took off, trailed by the two zombies. She turned sharply out of the parking lot and turned down the mountain road. She looked in her mirror and saw a blinding mass of headlights right behind them. She extended her left arm above her head and extended her fingers.

"FOLLOW HER!" Saki yelled.

"I KNOW!" Ai screamed back.

* * *

"Don't let them get away!" Misa ordered to the girls behind her. "We need them!"

Sakura nodded. _I'm gonna get you, Saki-chan! I'm gonna bring you back if it's the last thing I do! Even if I don't get all of you, bringing back two is better than bringing back none!_

"GRRRAAUUGHH!" Tae screeched through her mask.

She turned to look at her. "Tae-chan! Now's your time! Go knock them down!" She turned back to see Saki giving her the middle finger. _Oh, now that's uncalled for!_

Tae sped up and easily passed the rest of Korosuke. She pulled up next to Ai on the right side.

* * *

"GRAAAUGHAGH!" Tae screeched.

Saki looked over to see the girl, who she hadn't seen in weeks. "Braindead?!"

"OH MY GOD! IT'S HER!" Ai screamed.

Tae started kicking her bike. "GRAUGOHAGH!"

"SAKI, HELP!" she swerved away from the feral zombie.

"USE YOUR GUN!" she yelled.

Ai reached into her jacket and pulled out her nail gun. "G-GET BACK!"

"GRAAOGUGH!"

"SHE'S BRAINDEAD! SHOOT HER!"

Ai clenched her eyes shut and pulled the trigger. The gun didn't fire. "Huh?!" She inspected it in a panic. Her eyes shot open as she realized why she couldn't fire. She looked back at Saki. "I CAN'T!"

 _Crap!_ Her eyes briefly shot back forward and noticed another turn coming up. "PAY ATTENTION TO THE ROAD!"

She looked back just in time to see the left turn. "AH!" She leaned into a turn and swerved around the corner.

Saki used the opportunity to get between Ai and Tae. _Get the hell away from her!_ She gritted her teeth and kicked the girl as the road straightened out.

"GAUGH!" Tae yelled as she recoiled. She straightened back up and started kicking Saki's bike. "GRERRRAAHHGAGH!"

 _That's not working!_ She turned to Ai. "GIMME THE GUN!" she yelled at the top of her lungs.

She handed her the gun and put her hand back on the throttle. She twisted it back and pulled up closer to Maria.

Saki inspected the gun herself. _Why the hell won't it fire? Damn it, I should've read the instructions!_ She turned back to Tae, switched hands, and promptly swung the nail gun.

* * *

"Tae-chan!" Sakura exclaimed in shock. She watched as her fellow zombie fell to the ground.

"GRAUUUGH!" The sound of Tae screeching zipped past her.

Misa turned around. "SAYORI! GET HER BACK ON HER BIKE!"

"Yes, Miss Misa!" one of the girls yelled. She skidded to a stop next to Tae and quickly disappeared from sight.

"Will she really be okay?!" Sakura asked Misa in a panic.

"She'll be fine! We need to keep up with them! We can't lose them!"

She stared back ahead at the three girls, who were now yelling something at one another. She gritted her teeth. _You're not getting away from me this time!_

* * *

Ai put the nail gun back in her pocket. "WE NEED TO GET OUT OF HERE!"

"WE'RE ALMOST DOWN THE MOUNTAIN!" Maria shouted back. "HOLD ON!" She swerved into another right turn.

"I KNEW I HAD A BAD FEELING ABOUT THIS!"

"SHUT UP, WILL YOU!? WE NEED TO GET THE HELL OUT OF HERE!" She gritted her teeth and pulled back on the throttle. She turned left.

"THERE!" Saki yelled and pointed ahead. From where they were, they could see a small red shrine. "IT'S JUST AHEAD!"

"HOW DO WE GET RID OF THEM ONCE WE GET TO THE BOTTOM?!" Ai screamed.

"JUST FOLLOW MY LEAD!" She pulled back even more on her throttle and picked up more speed. _Damn it, I have no fucking idea!_ She looked in the mirror. _How the hell is that bitch so good at riding?!_

The three of them finally reached the bottom of the mountain. They all turned onto the Karatsu bypass and ran a red light. "WHAT'S THE PLAN?!" Ai cried.

"I HAVE NO IDEA!" Maria replied.

"I WASN'T ASKING YOU!" She turned to Saki. "HOW ARE WE GONNA GET OUT OF THIS?!"

She looked in her mirror as they ran another red light. The army of Korosuke bikes was still hot on her tail. _Damn_ _!_ She wracked her brain for a means of escape. _How the hell are we gonna do this?! I can't do my usual getaway with Ai and Maria here, they're not good enough! I can't go into the river, they'll still follow us! I can't do anything deadly, Maria can't make it! Damn it! The only possible way is to-_

Suddenly, the sky lit up in a bright flash of light. A loud crack echoed throughout the sky.

 _Lightning! Wait!_ Saki turned her head to her right just in time to see Ai's bike tip over. "AI!"


	61. The Last Stand

"AI!" Saki screamed. She drifted to a stop and jumped off her bike, letting it fall to the ground. She sprinted over to her fallen sister and knelt down beside her. "Hey! Are you okay?!"

Ai trembled beneath her in a fetal position. Her breaths were quick and heavy. "Please… Saki… I can't stop my body from reacting…"

She looked up and quickly observed her surroundings. They were stopped right at a part of the bypass that went over the road below. There was a metal barrier in the middle that divided the two lanes. She and Ai were right next to it.

Maria pulled up next to the two zombies. "What the hell are you doing?! Get up! We gotta get outta here!"

"Damn it, we shouldn't have come!" she yelled. She stared at the army of Korosuke members headed their way. _Crap!_

She climbed off her bike. "What's wrong with her?! Why's she like this?!"

She looked around in a panic. Their bikes were too far away. They'd never make it in time. _I have no other options…_ She crouched down and picked up Ai.

"Help…" she whispered.

"I've got you!" She hoisted her up and took a step back to maintain her balance. She carried the girl in her arms and gritted her teeth. _What the hell am I gonna do?!_ She glanced at the girl next to her. _I have to keep them safe…_ "Maria! Take Ai and get outta here!"

"What?! I can't just leave you here!"

"Just go!" she yelled. "I can't protect you! You have to get out of here!"

She gritted her teeth. "No! I won't let them take you!"

"Damn it, Maria!" She looked up at the horde of bikes headed straight towards them. "I promised your mom I wouldn't let you get yourself killed!"

"I'm not gonna just leave you here!" she yelled back.

The circle of bikes formed around them once more. Some of the girls were parked on the opposite side of the metal barrier. They all brought back out their weapons.

Misa pulled up and glared into the circle at the girls.

Sakura parked outside the circle. She untied her sleeve, climbed off her bike, and walked through the line. "Stop running away from this! This is what we were resurrected to do!"

"Leave us out of this!" Saki yelled back. She looked around at the Korosuke members surrounding her. _What do I do? What do I do?_

"No! This is bigger than your biker gang! This is saving Saga we're talking about!"

She took a step back. Her legs were shaking. _I can't… do anything!_ For the first time in a long time, she was out of options. She felt Ai wrap her arms around her neck, trembling.

"We're going back to the mansion, and you two are learning how to be idols!"

She took another step back. _I have to stay strong… I have to keep it together…_

She walked towards her menacingly. "It's time to stop with this biker nonsense!"

 _I've got to protect them…! I…_ She clenched her eyes shut and lowered her head. She held Ai tightly in her arms. _Not again_ _… I'm sorry_ _… I can't_ _…_

Another flash of white light filled the sky. The crack of thunder echoed across Karatsu.

"Back the fuck up!"

 _Huh?_ Her eyes shot open. She looked up to see Maria now standing between them.

"I won't let you hurt them!" she shouted with clear pain in her voice.

"Maria!" Saki yelled in shock. "What the hell are you doing?!"

Sakura blinked in surprise, then reapplied her determined look. "This has nothing to do with you!"

"Just leave us alone!" she cried. She gritted her teeth and shook her head. "Isn't it obvious they don't wanna do it?!"

"It doesn't matter if they don't want to! They will as soon as they give it a try!" she yelled back.

"What the hell is your problem?!" she shouted with a voice crack. "You can't do this to them!"

"They're going back with me, one way or another!"

"I hate you!"

"I don't even know who you are! I'm only here for them!" she pointed at the two zombies.

She sniffled and stepped back. "I won't let you take them away from each other! Away from me!" She stepped forward, twisted her hips, and threw her fist into her face with the entire weight of her body behind it.

* * *

"Gwuh!" Sakura's head went flying through the air. She felt her body fall to the ground and stared up at the overcast sky. _What just happened?!_ She reached the peak of her flight and began to fall. "Oh! No no no no-"

"Got you," Kozue said as she leaped up and grabbed her head out of the air with both hands. She brought her back down to her chest level. "You okay?"

"I-I think so…" she looked up at her. "Turn me towards them!" Her head rotated towards the girls, where she saw Maria standing triumphantly with her fist in the air. Saki held Ai in her arms and stared at her.

Maria put her fist down, turned around, and quickly reached into Ai's pocket. She pulled out the nail gun, turned back around, and started aiming it frantically at the Korosuke girls. "Don't come any closer! I won't let you hurt them!"

Sakura gritted her teeth. "I didn't want to hurt you, but if that's what it takes, then-"

"Weapons down!" Misa commanded.

 _Huh? What's she doing?_

The Korosuke girls all withdrew their weapons. They made a small hole in the wall for their boss to enter through.

Maria pointed the nail gun directly at her. Her eyes darted nervously around the circle and her breathing was scattered.

Misa started walking into the circle. "Please, Maria. Put the gun down. We have no intention of hurting you."

"That's not what she said!" She motioned to Sakura with the gun.

"She's not in charge."

She pointed the gun back at her. "Well, I won't let you take them from me, either!"

"That's not what I'm here for."

"Huh?" Sakura asked quietly. "Yes it is…"

Kozue sighed. "No, it's not…"

"Huh? What?" She began to panic. "What's she doing?!"

Misa stopped in front of Maria. "Please, put the gun down. I only want to talk."

She stared up at her for a second, then glanced back at Saki, who was simply staring back at her. She looked back to her, gulped, and lowered the nail gun cautiously. "What is it?"

She glanced at the quivering girl in Saki's arms. "Is she okay?"

"She'll be fine," she replied slowly. "Get on with it."

She looked back at her. "When I fought Saki on Sunday, I was impressed. She took down everyone in Korosuke alone. It was then that I realized that she was an incredible fighter and an incredible biker. She's an incredibly valuable asset to your team."

She squinted in suspicion. "What the hell are you going on about?"

"Additionally, she's made you a better biker as well. She's a great mentor. What you just did must have required a lot of guts, as you say. I think that, a week ago, you never would have done something like that."

 _What is she talking about? What's she doing?!_ Sakura was horrified. _This isn't part of the plan!_

"And while I haven't seen any other members of Dorami in action, I believe you could all be legends in the next gen of lady bikers. I'm here to invite you all to join Korosuke and do it with us."

The sky flashed and another clap of thunder echoed across the landscape.

Tears started welling up in Sakura's eyes. "No!" she cried.

She turned and looked at her. "I'm sorry, Sakura, but this is more important. I'm sorry I couldn't tell you."

She stared in disbelief. _Why does everyone I trust betray me?!_ She gritted her teeth. _Every time… other people let me down!_ She scowled. _I'm done depending on other people! I'll get them back myself!_ She concentrated on her limp body.

"Are you serious?" Maria asked. She seemed very confused.

"Yes," Misa replied.

"So we're not in danger? You're not gonna hurt them?" Saki asked.

"I won't lay a finger on you."

She sighed in relief. "Damn it, Korosuke… scaring me like that." She knelt down and laid Ai back on the ground. "Here, Maria, can you watch her?"

"Sure," she replied. She dropped the nail gun and knelt down beside the terrified girl. "Hey, it's okay. We're fine," she whispered.

Saki stood back up and ran her hand through her hair. "Oh, man. I really thought we were toast for a second…" She stepped up to Misa and flashed a cheeky smile. "You Korosuke bitches are insane."

She smiled coyly. "We're a good match, don't you think?"

She laughed. "You got me there."

"So, what do you say? Come conquer the country with me, Saki." She extended her hand.

She smiled and shook her head. "I was there when Dorami was founded. I can't leave it." She looked back up and grinned. "Besides, kicking your ass is too much fun."

She closed her eyes and smiled. "I understand." She crossed her arms. "Well, I hope to give you hell again soon."

She laughed again. "I'll take everything you got, bitch." She seemed satisfied. "Let's actually play chicken sometime so I can crush you."

"Oh, believe me, I won't be the one getting crushed."

Her eyes shot open. "Oh! You think next time we could do this earlier? Shrimpy was really pissed that she couldn't watch me tear you to shreds."

She laughed. "Anytime."

She sighed and turned back to her crew. "Alright, let's get outta here."

"Hold on a second!" Sakura ordered as she maneuvered her body over to her head. She grabbed it and carefully stuck it back on. "You and I have unfinished business!"

She smugly glared at her over her shoulder. "The hell is so unfinished about it? We won, you lost. Go take your egghead ass back to Shades."

"I don't need him! I don't need anyone!" she yelled. "I'll take you down myself!"

She grinned and turned the rest of the way around. "You looking for an assbeating?"

"Just shut up!" She lunged forward at Saki and reeled her arm back. _I didn't want to hurt you, but now it's come to this!_ She hurled her fist at her head.

Saki merely lifted up her right arm and caught Sakura's hand. "You really think this is gonna end well?" She yanked her arm backwards, pulling the girl forward. Then she headbutted her.

"Gwah!" she exclaimed. She fell to the ground weakly. Her forehead throbbed with pain. _I… can do this!_

Saki grabbed her by the collar and lifted her up over her head with both hands. "How many times do I gotta tell you, Egghead?! We're not going back to that damn mansion! Give up!"

She struggled to look back down at her. _I_ _ _…_ have… to bring her back! I won't_ _ _…_ lose!_

She shook her violently. "Hey! You listening to me?! I'm telling you to fuck off!"

 _I… I…_ _Wait. What's that?_ Her thought process was interrupted as she heard the sound of an engine growing louder and louder.

She raised an eyebrow and leaned to the side. A new pair of headlights was headed her way. "Who the hell is it this time?" She squinted into the darkness. Her eyes shot open as she realized who it was.

"GRAAUUGH!" Tae screeched. She jumped off her bike and soared over the wall of the circle. Her eyes shot open as she noticed Saki holding up Sakura. "GRRAUUGHHGH!" She ripped off her mask, bared her teeth, and aimed for her new target.


	62. The Braindead Showdown

Saki dropped Sakura. _Shit!_ She instinctively put her arms up in front of her face in a cross to block her attack.

There was a loud crash as the bike Tae was riding flew into the outer wall of the circle. Several Korosuke girls screamed. Multiple bikes tipped over.

Tae dropped from the sky and bit Saki's right wrist at full force. "GRAMMF!"

"GAH! FUCK!" She punched the girl in the throat with her other arm. The teeth withdrew from her arm and revealed several sizeable holes in her skin. _Oh my god! What the hell?!_ She could feel the puncture wounds, but she couldn't believe it.

She dropped to the ground, but for no more than a fraction of a second. She immediately bounced back up and tackled her.

"OUGH!" Saki exclaimed as she crashed into the ground. She felt multiple snaps go off throughout her back. _What the hell is this girl?!_ She looked up at the zombie on top of her preparing to attack. _Shit!_ She quickly grabbed her wrists and held her claws at a fair distance away.

"GRAUGH HAHEG HARUGH!" Tae screeched in her face. She couldn't reach her because Saki held her back, but at least she could yell.

 _What the hell?! She's not like the other people I've fought!_ "Get off of me, Braindead!" she yelled. She struggled to set herself free.

Suddenly, a black boot came out of nowhere and crashed into the side of Tae's head. "Get off of her, you savage!" Misa yelled.

She rolled across the ground. She quickly came to her senses, however, and got up on all fours. She looked back up at the girl who kicked her and growled.

"Tae, stop!" she commanded. She held her hand out in front of her.

"GRAUAGHHAGH!" She started sprinting at her with her teeth bared.

"She won't listen!" she yelled in shock. She quickly reached for the whip mounted on her hip. She pulled it off and cracked it against the ground. She quickly pulled it back into her hand and shortened the slack on the end. Then she cracked the remaining length of it onto Tae's neck.

"GruagHAG!" she choked. She grabbed her neck for a moment, but within a second she picked up where she left off and continued running towards her. "GRAUAGGAH!" She held up her hands and prepared to attack.

"Stay down!" Saki yelled as she delivered a round kick into the girl's chest. She followed through with the motion and knocked her off her feet onto the ground.

"Thanks," Misa said, "but I don't think she'll stay down for long."

 _Damn it, she's right!_ She looked down at Tae, who was already climbing back up to her feet. She turned to Maria. "Take Ai and get out of here! I'll handle this!"

"Right!" She picked her up and almost toppled over immediately. "Crap, heavy…!" She carried her to the outside of the circle and set her back down.

Sakura slowly sat back up. "Tae-chan?"

Tae finally regained her balance. She looked down at her fallen friend. "Grabaharanghrar!"

She stared back up at her in confusion. "What…?"

She turned her attention back to the girls before her. "Gragrarahrag!"

"What is she trying to say?" Misa asked. She slid one foot backwards and leaned forward. Her grip on her whip tightened.

"Don't play dumb, bitch. You already know she wants to kill us." Saki stepped into a stance and put her hands up.

"Then I suppose this is a truce for now."

"Guess so."

"Korosuke! Weapons ready!" she snapped.

There was a chorus of chainsaws revving and chains clanking. There was also the grunting of one girl bringing a pickaxe up to her shoulder.

Tae kept her eyes on them. She bared her teeth and growled.

"Ready when you are," Misa said coyly.

Saki smirked. "I'm was born-"

"GRAUGAGAHA!" Tae screeched and lunged at Saki. She stretched her arms out in front of her and prepared to claw her eyes out.

 _Jeez! I didn't even get to finish!_ She quickly put her foot up and kicked the girl in the chest fast and hard. It was a surefire way to knock the wind out of a human, but for Tae it did minimal damage. _Shit!_ She put her foot back down and instead decided to grab her face with her hand. She pushed out her right arm and caught her forehead.

"GRAUGAHAGRAG!" Her eyes were covered by her palm, so she clawed randomly. Most of her strikes merely bounced off Saki's jacket, but one of the slashes she made with her right hand clipped her in the neck.

 _Crap!_ She leaned her head further back and brought a hand up to her wound. Her neck had a deep gash in it, but she wasn't bleeding. _Huh. No blood. Hurts a lot, though…_

Misa rushed in and punched Tae in the side of the head. "Get your dirty paws off of her!" She turned to Saki. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine." She lowered her hand and looked where Tae had been knocked to. "Let's take her out!"

There was another flash of lightning and a clap of thunder.

A girl behind Tae quickly rushed forward with a shovel. "Take this!" She slammed the shovel head into the back of her head.

She quickly turned around and grabbed the shovel. She snapped it in half with her bare hands and tossed the two halves to the side. "GRAUAGHAG!" She grabbed the girl by the shoulders and started shaking her violently.

"What the hell?! She just broke that thing in half!" Saki yelled. _We can do that?!_

"Well, she's a zombie! I'm sure she can do that!" Misa exclaimed as she estimated the proper distance for a whip crack. She got slightly closer then raised her arm over her head and flicked her wrist downwards. The whip carried a curve to the end that slapped Tae's exposed back and produced a loud crack.

She didn't even flinch. She just kept shaking the girl.

"What?!" Misa yelled. "Did she even feel that?!"

A chain wrapped around Tae's neck from across the traffic barrier. The girl at the other end gritted her teeth and yanked her off her feet. "Get away from her!"

"GRAGHAGUGAH!" She landed on the ground, clawing at the chain and kicking her feet around violently. She was dragged into the traffic barrier.

"Now! Gang up on her!" Misa ordered. "Hit her with everything you've got!"

A group of six girls with crowbars ran up to the immobilized zombie and began repeatedly smashing their weapons into her.

"GRAUGAHAGGRGAAG!" she cried as she was pummeled.

"Stop!" Sakura yelled. "She doesn't deserve this!" She rose to her feet. "She's only trying to protect me!"

Saki turned back to her. "Then tell her to stop, dumbass!"

She paused for a moment and looked between Tae and Saki repeatedly. Finally, she sighed. She ran over to the crowd of girls. "Tae-chan!" She stared down at the group, who had all paused for a moment. She locked eyes with Tae.

 _Oh, damn. I didn't think that would work._

She gritted her teeth, shook her head, and grabbed the chain around Tae's neck. She yanked it in the other direction and pulled the other girl off her feet. "Tae-chan! Get up!"

"Crap!" Saki exclaimed. She ran straight for Sakura, preparing to punch her stupid egg face. _I trust you to do the right thing for one damn second…!_

Tae threw the girls off of her and stood up. "GRRAUAGHAG!" She quickly ran in front of Sakura and blocked the punch with her hand. She headbutted Saki and sent her flying backwards.

"Gwuh!" She landed on the ground and looked up at the two zombies across from her. "Damn it! I should've known you'd pull some shit!"

"You're coming back with us!" Sakura yelled as she unwrapped the chain around Tae's neck. "I'll do whatever it takes to get back onstage!"

Maria watched through the hole in the wall left by one of the crowbar girls. She pulled out her phone and started filming.

Misa helped Saki to her feet. "You are out of line, Sakura. This is inane. Stop this."

"I'm sick of everyone pushing me around! Everyone using me! Everyone lying to me! I'm through with that!" She pointed at Saki. "You're coming back with me! Forget about Dorami! We're Death Musume now!"

She squinted. "The hell is Death Musume?"

She shook her head and pointed straight at them. "Tae! Sic!"

Tae immediately started sprinting straight for them. "GARAGHAGARAGH!"

Saki delivered a right hook that sent the zombie stumbling off-balance. She watched as she corrected herself and came at a different angle. She punched at full force and quickly followed after her, delivering a furious rush of blows.

"GRAGHHHARAG!" she screeched. In the span of a second, she dropped down underneath her, crawled around to her backside, and grabbed her waist. She let out a yell as she physically picked her up and threw her across the street. She jumped over the barrier and chased her fellow zombie.

"Misa!" Sakura yelled. "Why are you helping her?!"

She turned her attention to the zombie before her. "Simple. She means more to me than you do."

She gritted her teeth. "Nothing matters to you, does it! Not even when it's as important as saving Saga!" She sprinted over to her and prepared to punch.

Misa inhaled sharply through her teeth. She unrolled her whip and flicked it at the rampaging girl.

Her eyes instinctively shut as the whip crossed her face, but she didn't stop charging, even though it hurt a lot. She jumped up to throw a punch. "This is more imp- gyak!" Her inspirational quote was cut off as she was punched in the throat. She fell to the ground again.

"What are you doing, Sakura?" she asked with pity in her voice. "You don't know how to fight. You can't win. There's a point where you have to just accept defeat."

She climbed to her feet. "I won't! I'll keep fighting! As long as it takes! I didn't want to, but-" She was cut off again as a slap crossed her face. It echoed across the road.

"This is stupid. Stop it."

Tae stopped attacking Saki and turned around at the sound of the slap. She saw Sakura's head rotating and immediately launched across the street. "GREEARAAAAAAAAAGH!" She opened her mouth wide.

* * *

"GAH!" Misa screamed. She dropped her whip and looked down at her arm. Tae had her teeth sunken deep into her flesh. Blood began to seep from her skin. She merely stared in shock.

"Misa-san! I…" Sakura's hand flew up to her head. "I'm sorry! I didn't mean for you to get hurt!"

Saki turned around. "Misa!" She quickly ran across the barrier over to her. "Let go of her, Braindead!" She grabbed Tae's head and yanked her teeth out of her arm. "I'm gonna make you pay for that, damn it!" She threw her back across the barrier and jumped over it herself.

"Shit!" Misa yelled. Her arm was bleeding heavily. She collapsed to the ground, wincing in pain. "Sakura… urgh!" She applied pressure to her wounds to stop the bleeding.

Tae roared. "GRARRAGAGH!" Blood dripped from her mouth. She climbed back onto her feet and swiped ferociously at Saki. She was quickly stopped, however, as a chainsaw cut through her swiping arm. It fell to the ground with a _plop_.

"I got you!" The chainsaw girl yelled.

She turned and punched the girl in the face with her other hand, knocking her out instantly. Then she quickly bent back down and reattached her arm.

Saki used the opportunity to knee her in the face. "Damn it! I'm gonna fucking kill you!" She shoved the girl backwards, but to her surprise, Tae bounced back and jumped on top of her again. "Guh!"

"Misa-san, I'm sorry! I didn't want it to end up like this!" Sakura yelled. "I didn't want this!"

She looked up at her. "You think I did?" She started breathing rapidly. She gritted her teeth as massive amounts of blood poured out of her arm into the road. Her pupils enlarged. "I don't… I'm so tired…" She struggled to keep her eyelids open.

A girl with a fire iron ran over to them. "She's going into shock! Who's got the first aid kit?!"

Sakura shook her head. _I have to stop this! I can't let anyone else get hurt!_ She stood up and looked across the street. "Tae-chan, stop!"

Tae immediately froze and looked over at her. She stood up. She was totally caught off-guard when she was tackled to the ground. "Grargh!"

Saki stood up and watched as the pickaxe girl swung through Tae's stomach. "Ugh! Gross!" she yelled in disgust as the pickaxe entered through the front and exited through the back, securing itself in the asphalt below and immobilizing Tae. "Guess there is a good use for that." She looked back over at Sakura and her expression changed immediately. "You!"

She held her hands up and started backing away. "I-I'm sorry! I didn't mean for this to happen!"

Saki stepped over the barrier and gritted her teeth. "I've had it with you!"

"I really mean it! I'm sorry!"

"Sorry doesn't cut it!" she yelled. She marched towards her. This was the angriest Sakura had ever seen her.

"I didn't want this to happen! I just wanted for us to be idols!" She backed through the wall of the circle.

"I don't care what the hell you wanted!" she yelled. "You know how much you wanting shit has hurt people?!"

"Huh?" She tripped backwards over the curb. "Ah!" She started crawling backwards away from her.

"You hurt Lily! You hurt Misa! You hurt genuinely good people CONSTANTLY! All because of what you want! That's so damn selfish!"

She inched backwards and stood up against the railing. She quivered in fear. "I… I…"

She grabbed her by the throat. "Well, now? I'm gonna return the favor." She picked her up by the neck. She leaned in close to her and whispered one last thing: "Listen to me, Sakura. You are the worst person I've ever met. You're pathetic, you're spineless, and you're stupid. You only care about yourself and your stupid idol group. I never want to see your face. Ever. Again." And with that, she tossed her over the railing.

Sakura stared up silently as she fell into the road below. Time seemed to slow down for a moment as she flipped over backwards. It gave her ample time to reflect on her actions. _I really did go too far with this…_ She watched as Saki disappeared from sight due to her backwards rotation. _I really did hurt a lot of people…_ The street came back into view, but upside-down. _I don't know what I'm supposed to do… Who am I, even?_ She stared down at the road. It was illuminated by something out of her field of vision. _Huh? What's that?_ She slowly rotated towards the source of light. She recognized it and her eyes shot open one last time. _Oh my g-_

Everything went black.

* * *

Saki grinned at the scene below. "Haha! See what you get, bitch?! That's karma!"

"Oh my god!" Maria yelled. She held her phone over the railing and gawked at the scene below. "She just went flying!"

Ai turned and glanced through the railing. "Oh my god…"

The truck driver immediately got out and ran over to the unconscious girl. "Hey! Are you okay?! I'm so sorry! I should have been more caref… Z-z-zombie!" He ran back to his truck, climbed in, and sped away, leaving Sakura alone on the pavement below.

Saki turned back to Misa, who was now surrounded by members of her team. She walked over and looked down at her. She had a new set of bandages over her right arm and her legs were being held up by another girl. "Misa? You okay?"

Kozue looked up. "She's out cold. She can't hear you, but she'll be alright."

Maria walked back into the circle. "Is she gonna turn into a zombie?" She picked up the nail gun laying on the ground with her free hand.

"Sakura said the bites don't do anything. Besides, Tae has nibbled on her before. Nothing has gone this deep, though." She shrugged. "Meh. She'll probably be fine."

The pair of Dorami girls looked across the street at Tae, who was laying calmly on the road despite there being a pickaxe stuck through her stomach.

"Can I get my pickaxe back?" the girl asked. "I don't like it being inside her…"

"Yeah, sure, go ahead," Saki waved casually. "We'll see if she does anything."

The girl bent down and tugged her pickaxe out of the ground. It exited her abdomen with a _shlick_. "Okay, Tae… don't do anything stupid."

Tae immediately jumped to her feet and roared. "GRAAAAAAAAAAAUUUUUUUUGHHHHHHH!" She crossed the barrier, ran across the street, and jumped over the railing into the road below.

"Holy shit!" Maria yelled. She rushed back over to the railing, still filming everything on her phone.

Saki ran up next to her just in time to see her pick Sakura up by the hair and run off into the night on all fours. "Huh. Maybe we shouldn't have let her do that…?"

"Ah, don't worry. I'm sure it'll be fine."

There was another flash as lighting lit up the sky. The thunder boomed louder than any of the previous ones.

 _Crap! The lightning!_ She turned to Ai, who was trembling on the ground. "We gotta get her to safety!"

"Where?!" Maria asked. "Your house is half an hour away!" She finally stopped recording and put her phone back in her pocket.

She bit her lip. _Damn it, the things I do for these people!_ She sighed. "How far is yours, though?"


	63. The Shelter

Maria opened the door. "Come on. Get her inside."

Saki carried Ai into the house and set her down at the edge of the genkan. She shuddered at the thought of returning to this place, but this was an emergency. She carefully started removing her sister's boots. _Can't believe I'm coming back here again…_

Maria sat down next to her. "So… that." She started taking off her boots.

She glanced up. "What about it?"

"That was pretty intense."

She sighed. "Yeah, it was. But I'm glad I finally got to punish that bitch." She slipped off Ai's boot and put it to the side. She started on the next one. "She's had it coming for a long time."

She slipped off her first boot and started on the next. "You think we'll ever see her again?"

"God, I hope not. She's already done enough." She slipped off the second boot and placed it next to the first one. "Besides. I was losing."

"Huh?"

There was another clap of thunder. Ai gasped and clung onto Maria. She started quivering in fear.

"Hey, it's fine. You're with us now," she reassured her as she took off her second boot. "We're inside. Lightning can't touch you inside."

The door at the end of the hall swung open behind them. "Maria! I was so worried! When you didn't come home, I-" Reiko paused as she noticed the glowing pair of red eyes at the end of the hallway.

 _Ugh._ She glared at her former friend. _Just who I wanted to see._

Her concerned motherly expression turned sour. "Saki, what are you doing here? Why is she home so late? Who is this?" Her eyes shot open. "What on Earth happened to your neck?!"

"That's too many questions, damn it! One at a time!"

Maria stood up, supporting the majority of Ai's weight. "Oh, give your stupid fight a rest! This is more important." She turned and walked her out of the genkan and down the hall towards her mother.

"Who's this?" Reiko asked, eyeing the girl. "Another zombie?"

"Remember when that idol got struck by lightning, like, ten years ago?"

Her eyes jumped skeptically between her daughter and the zombie. "Yes…"

"Yeah, this is her. Say hi to Ai Mizuno."

Ai looked up at her. "Um… hi…" she said weakly.

Reiko looked to Saki in the genkan, then back at her. "You're that lightning girl?"

"That's really all people remember me by, I guess…" she moped.

She bit her lip. "So, Miss Mizuno… what brings you here?" she asked. She was clearly very uncomfortable with the whole situation.

"She's got PTSD from her death," Maria explained. "She can't be outside while it's thundering out. We have any mats laying around they can use for the night?"

"Okay…" she replied quietly. "They're upstairs in the towel closet."

She turned and slowly walked the zombie up the stairs, leaving Saki and Reiko alone.

She stared at the staircase for a moment before she shifted her attention back to Saki. "Was that Bandages?"

"Yeah." She squatted down and started taking off her boots. "You may be surprised to know I care about my damn crew," she said hostilely.

Reiko watched her silently.

Saki slipped off her boots and walked down the hall to the staircase. "You got any bandages I can use? I got a bit scraped up tonight." She pointed to her neck.

She glared at her and walked back into the kitchen without answering.

"Tsk!" _I guess I'll ask Maria, then._ She continued up the stairs and walked around the corner to find another hallway. Only one door was open and had light coming from it. She entered.

Maria's room was decorated lightly. It had the same walls and floor as the rest of the house, but also had one or two posters of rock musicians on the walls. Against the wall with the door was a set of cubbies inside a sectioned shelf and a desk. The bed was a soft purple with several stuffed animals on it and there were two windows with bright pink curtains.

Maria was seated on the bed with her legs crossed and her arm around Ai, who was shuddering into her chest. "Hey, you're alright. We're here," she whispered softly.

"Hey, you got any bandages I can use?" Saki asked.

She looked up. "There should be some in the bathroom down the hall. You're doing your neck?"

"And the arm, yeah."

"Thank god. It looks disgusting."

She frowned. _It can't look that bad. Jeez._

"Saki…" Ai started. She slowly turned to look at her.

"Yeah?" she asked, expecting her to say something important to her.

"Be careful with the neck…" she warned her quietly. "You have to get just the right mix between tight and loose. You should be able to swallow, but they shouldn't fall off."

 _Oh._ "Thanks, I'll keep that in mind," she sighed. She backed back out the door. She turned down the hallway and found the bathroom. After a little rummaging, she found bandages and medical scissors in one of the drawers. _Alright._ She looked up at her reflection in the mirror and her face fell. _Oh my god._ The gash in her neck was absolutely horrifying. Torn flesh lined hills and valleys of grey tissue. A single vein hung loosely from the top of her wound like a string. She reached a hand up and touched it, terrified. _If this had hit a human… they would have died._ She stared into her own eyes for a long time. After a long moment, she snapped back to reality and started applying bandages over the wound. _She wasn't even fighting… she was just swiping randomly. She was just… being a zombie._ She blinked. _Just what the hell are we capable of?!_ She winced in pain as the white cloth ran across raw muscle. _God, I hope this heals quickly…_

Maria stepped out of her room into the hall. She opened a door next to her room's door and put her hand to her chin.

"Hey, Maria," she said.

"Yeah?"

"You think that girl from earlier had a point about potential or whatever?"

"What? You think she did?" She looked up in confusion. "Really?"

"Well, I dunno. That Tae chick really did a lot of damage on me, and I probably would have been even worse if Sakura didn't call her off. The worst part is that she wasn't even fighting, though. She was just doing zombie crap."

"You planning on actually working with that idiot?"

"I dunno at this point. I might."

She shook her head. "You do whatever. I don't care." She grabbed two futon mats out of the closet and returned to her room.

She sighed and turned back to the mirror. She finally finished wrapping up her neck and snipped off a large piece of bandage with the scissors. She slipped it underneath the bandages already on her neck. _That looks good._ She looked down at the bite marks on her wrist. Bone was clearly visible, and where there wasn't bone, the hole was deep enough that she could fit a one-yen coin in the wound. "Tsk." She started wrapping it. _I wonder if Misa's gonna be okay…_

Maria reappeared from her room empty handed. She returned to the closet and grabbed two pillows. "We're gonna call Junko and Lily in a sec. Hurry up with your arm." She walked right back into her room.

 _I'm trying, damn it. I've never done this on my right hand before._ She quickly wrapped the bandages around her hand, leaving a gap for her thumb. She wrapped the bandages from her knuckles up to the halfway point of the scar on her forearm. She put down the tape and scissors and looked at herself. _I can't keep getting hurt, damn it._ She sulked and walked back to Maria's room just as she was walking out. She saw the two mats on the ground and sighed. _This sucks. Tonight sucks._ She took off her jacket, threw it onto one of the mats, and laid down on the bed next to Ai. "You doing better?"

"I wanna talk to Junko…" she whispered. She pulled her knees into her chest. "I miss her."

She sighed. "We'll be talking to her soon. Don't worry."

Maria walked back in holding a bundle of blankets in each arm. She tossed them onto the mats and sighed. "Alright, you guys can do those later." She walked over to the bed and sat down. She pulled out her phone and started tapping the screen. "I'm calling Shrimpy."

There was another clap of thunder.

Ai clenched her eyes shut and breathed sharply through her teeth.

"Hey, it's fine," Saki comforted her. "We're here now. We're safe."

She sniffled. "Right."

Maria tapped one last time and set the phone down on the bed in front of her. "Alright. Here we go."

The phone rang for a moment, then a child's voice came through the other end. "Hi, Maria-chan!" Lily yelled.

"Hey, Shrimpy! What's going on?"

"We're watching Kiki's Delivery Service!" she replied. She gasped. "Is Saki-chan there?"

"Right here, kid," Saki replied.

"Saki-chan! Did you win?" she asked.

She bit her lip. _What am I supposed to say?_ "Uh… sort of."

"Is Junko there?" Ai asked, leaning forward.

"Oh! Ai-chan! Hold on!" There was the sound of a loud tap on the phone. "There! Now she can hear you! Say hi, Junko-chan!"

"Hello! Where are you?" she asked.

"Junko!" Ai yelled, relieved. "We're at Maria's house! It started storming."

"Oh, okay. Are you all alright?"

"I'm fine now," she answered with a smile.

"That's good," she replied. "How was the challenge?"

Saki slapped her forehead and sighed. "Oh, man, where do we begin?"

"There actually wasn't a challenge," Maria explained. "It was a setup."

Junko gasped. "What happened?"

"Well, we got there, and it turns out that Sakura had joined Korosuke," Saki said. "Er, well, she thought she did. Or something. I'm not really sure."

"Sakura?!" Lily yelled. "She's bad!"

"I know! Anyways, we decided we'd get outta there, but Korosuke surrounded us, but we bust outta there and got to our bikes thanks to the nail gun! Then they chased us down the mountain."

"Did you escape?" Junko asked.

"Well, no…"

"Right then, lightning struck, and I seized up," Ai explained. "Saki and Maria stopped to protect me from them." She chuckled. "Saki picked me up like a baby."

"Did you fight them all with no hands, Saki-chan?!" Lily asked excitedly.

"You think I could take them all on with no hands?" she asked jokingly. "Maybe I could take one, but I was actually kinda freakin' out." She maintained her smile, but saying that out loud reminded her how close she was to actually losing them. _Damn it… I couldn't protect them…_

Ai smiled and excitedly stood on her hands and knees. "But then Maria-"

There was another crack of thunder.

"AH!" She immediately dropped to the bed, covered her head, and started quaking.

Saki shuffled across the bed and started rubbing her sister's back. "Maria stood up to Sakura and punched her head off. Literally!"

"Yay!" Lily exclaimed.

"Was that thunder?" Junko asked. "Ai, are you okay?"

"She's fine," Maria answered. "We're right here."

"What happened next?!" Lily asked excitedly.

"Well, Misa came up to us and asked us to-" she snickered. "To join Korosuke."

There was a pause on the other end. "Seriously?"

"Seriously! And we told her no, and it was all good. She was fine."

Saki felt the girl beneath her slowly stop quivering. She looked up at Maria, but noticed a familiar face standing in the doorway. She made eye contact with Reiko. _Gah! How long has she been standing there?_

"Anyway, Sakura was pissed, and she ran out and tried to punch Saki, but she just caught her hand and decked her!"

"Yeah!" Lily cheered.

"Keep it down, your father's trying to sleep," Junko reminded her.

"Oh, right."

"Anyway," Maria continued, "some OTHER zombie came out of nowhere and started kicking Saki's ass."

Saki frowned. "Hey! It wasn't that bad! It was a stalemate, dammit!" She looked back at Reiko, who seemed shocked. _Wait, wait, wait. Wait until she hears the next part._

"So Misa comes up and kicks her off, and Dorami and Korosuke make a temporary truce to fight that bitch!" She crossed her arms and pouted. "But Saki made me and Ai wait outside the circle, so it was really just… her and Korosuke."

Reiko seemed relieved.

 _Phew, good._ She looked back down at Ai.

"Anyway, pretty soon, that zombie-" She looked up at Saki. "What was her name again?"

"Tae," she answered.

"Tae is getting her ass beat by Korosuke, and Sakura tells them to stop. And-"

"Tae?!" Junko screamed. "What was she doing there?!"

"Uh, I dunno. She knew how to ride a bike, though. I bet Sakura kidnapped her and brainwashed her or something. So, anyway! Sakura tells them to stop, and they do, but then she actually just frees Tae. So Sakura is standing next to Tae, and Saki is standing next to Misa, and- OH! WAIT! I actually have a video!"

Lily gasped. "Send it to me! Send it to me!"

"If you wanna watch it, you gotta hang up! I'll send it, but you call me back when you're done!"

"Okay! Bye!" There was a click and the screen lit back up.

"Saki, may I speak with you for a moment?" Reiko asked from the doorway.

Maria turned around, shocked. "Wh- How long were you listening to that?!"

"Hey, relax," Saki said. She slid off the bed. "Send Lily the video. I'll talk to her."

She paused for a second, then turned back to the phone. "Alright." She picked it up and started tapping its screen.

She walked out the door into the hallway and closed the door behind her.

The two stood across from each other for a moment, staring into each other's eyes.

Finally, Reiko spoke. "Thank you," she bowed.

She crossed her arms and shrugged. "It's no big deal. I wouldn't've let her fight that bitch even if I hadn't promised you anything."

She stood back up and sighed in relief. "That's good to hear."

Saki couldn't help but smile. _It's been so long since she's been genuinely happy to talk to me…_

"Saki…" She looked at her with a pitiful look on her face. "Do you know why I'm still upset with you?"

"Huh? W-well, not really, no…" She uncrossed her arms and looked at her in confusion.

"I thought so. You never were very good at understanding what I thought."

She smiled. _Is she gonna tell me?! We can be friends again?!_

"It's because you left me, Saki. You left all of us. You left us all behind so you could show off."

Her smile fell from her face. _That's exactly what she said last time._

"You leaving my life… it hurt. I was lost without you. And it hurts to know that your stupid decision was the cause of so much pain." She grabbed her arm and started rubbing it. "I went to therapy because of what happened to you- what you did!" She looked back down. "Did you really care about our feelings that little?"

She squinted in confusion. "What the hell are you talking about? I care about your feelings. Why the hell do you think I promised to protect your damn kid?"

Reiko looked back up. "So you feel sorry about killing yourself?"

"Hell yeah, I do! I lost everyone! I lost everything!"

"Enough about what you lost!" she yelled. She shook her head. "What about the people who lost YOU, Saki?!"

"Sorry you weren't able to move on!" she yelled, agitated. "I died twenty damn years ago! You should've gotten over it by now!"

"I am over it!" she shouted desperately. "This isn't about me being over it! This is about all the pain you caused while people were still getting over it!"

She gritted her teeth. "Sounds like you haven't gotten over it."

She shook her head. Tears were forming in her eyes. "How could you possibly not understand?" she asked. "I thought that… after twenty-one years… you'd care about how we felt when we lost you."

"It couldn't have been that bad. Besides, I don't see how that matters anymore."

She stared down at her sadly. "Of course you don't."

The two shared another moment in silence.

 _Oh! Now's my chance!_ She straightened back up. "Hey, do you still have my Tamagotchi?"

Reiko glared at her, turned around, and stormed back down the stairs.

 _Dammit. I bet she threw it away._ She walked back into Maria's room, where she saw the two girls on the bed staring at her. "What?!"

"Nothing," Maria mumbled. She rolled over on the bed and held her phone above her head.

Ai continued to stare at her silently.

 _Whatever._ She stomped over to one of the mats on the ground and laid down. _Not like it matters, anyways._ She stared up at the ceiling. _The hell did she mean 'we'?_


	64. The Empathy

Ai's eyes slowly peeked open. Before her lay Saki, turned away from her. She looked up to see that both she and Maria were still asleep. The morning sunlight peeked through the blinds. She could hear birds chirping outside. She slowly rose out of bed and stretched. As she turned towards the door, however, she noticed Reiko was watching them through the door. She gasped in shock.

The woman immediately looked away and closed the door.

She stared at the closed door, then turned back to Saki. She paused for a moment, then rose to her feet and walked out the door. She closed it behind her softly. "Reiko, right?"

She froze. She was in the middle of walking back downstairs. She slowly looked up at the zombie. "Um… yes."

"Thanks for letting me spend the night. That was very generous of you."

She seemed relieved. "You're welcome."

She watched Maria's mother continue down the stairs. She bit her lip and went down after her. "Um… Reiko… about you and Saki…"

She stopped at the bottom and slowly turned around. "Yes?"

"I know what you're going through. And I think it's terrible that Saki doesn't realize the weight of what she did."

She stared up at her for a second and smiled. "Thank you." She paused for a moment. "Would you like something to drink?"

* * *

Ai sat across from Reiko at the kitchen table, sipping tea from her mug.

"So, you're an idol?" she asked.

"A former idol, yes." She put down her mug on the table. "I died just under ten years ago."

"That must be difficult," she said. "I can't imagine how it feels to die."

"I was unconscious for most of it, actually. The death itself wasn't the bad part. Knowing what happened afterwards is what hurts."

She stared at her silently.

"The worst part about it is…" she sighed and looked down. "I get to read all the old interviews of people I knew when I was alive. Iron Frill, my family… everyone. They all miss me so much." She swallowed. "And I assume that's what you went through with Saki."

She looked down. "Yes."

She shook her head. "She's lucky that she even gets the chance to see you again. More likely than not, I'm never going to meet the people I left behind ever again."

"I'm so sorry…" Reiko said. She reached across the table and put her hand on Ai's.

"I mean, it's fine. It's just something you have to get over, you know? But it hurts to see her treat you like that when you have a situation like mine."

She looked down.

"Saki is an interesting character. She clearly cares about you very much, but I think she doesn't realize how much you care about her."

"Huh?" She looked up.

"The first time Saki told me about you, she mentioned how badly she wanted to find you. She said she needed you." She sighed. "But I think that she doesn't realize that you felt the same way and had to readjust."

"You think so?"

"Yeah. We've all shared a lot of intimate moments together," Ai continued, "but I think Saki views this sort of thing as a one-way track. She cares about the people around her, but I'm not sure she realizes they care about her back." She paused for a moment. "You heard us talking about what happened last night, right?"

"Yes."

"When Maria stood up to Sakura… she said, 'I won't let you take them away from me'. Your daughter clearly cares about us, and by extension, her, very much. And, from what I can tell, Saki doesn't really understand what that meant. She asked her what the hell she was doing. She actually seemed really confused to see that someone was standing up for her."

She smiled. "She's always been confused about everything."

"I think that… if you give her some time, she'll realize somehow that other people care about her the same way she cares about other people."

Reiko stared at her for a second. "Thank you," she said softly. Then she laughed.

"What? What's so funny?"

"I still can't believe zombies are real. And I just took relationship advice from one."

She smiled and rubbed the back of her head shyly. "I guess that is pretty weird…"

There was a frantic knock at the front door.

Reiko turned to the kitchen door, confused. "Who could be here so early in the morning? We're not expecting anyone…" She glanced back at Ai. "I'll be right back." She walked out of the kitchen, made her way down the hall, and opened the front door. "Hello?"

"M-miss Amabuki! Is Maria here?! It's an emergency!"

"W-what? She's still asleep… what's going on?!"

Ai stood up and peeked out from around the kitchen door. A Korosuke member was standing at the front door.

"It's really bad! She commands the zombies, right?! We need her, now!"

"I don't know what you're talking about!" Reiko replied.

"What's going on?" Ai asked as she walked down the hall.

She gasped. "You! You're the other Dorami zombie from last night!" She ran into the genkan and grabbed her hand. "You have to come quick! Something's wrong with Misa!"


	65. The Infection

The four girls pulled into the parking lot beside a moderately-sized apartment building composed of wood and drywall. It had two floors, with a staircase leading from the ground up to the second floor. A large crowd of Korosuke girls was gathered on the second floor.

Maria stepped off her bike. "This is Misa's place?"

"Yes," the girl who had led them there replied. "No one's supposed to know except for her top advisors, but this is an emergency…"

Ai stepped off of her bike. "If this is what I think it is, it could be really bad news…"

Saki stepped off her bike and silently marched up to the stairs. _Damn it, Misa…_ She turned around and pointed at Ai. "Bandages! You're with me!"

She nodded. "Right!" She jogged over to where she was.

The two moved up the stairs, determined. The crowd of Korosuke girls moved aside and formed a path to the front door.

"Kozue-san is still inside!" one of them warned them.

"Okay!" Saki grabbed the doorknob and swallowed. She glanced at Ai. "You ready?"

She nodded softly. "Let's do this."

She twisted the doorknob and threw the door open. She looked into Misa's drab apartment and saw an orange-haired girl across from her with her feet planted on the wall and her hands gripping desperately on a doorknob, pulling with all her might to keep the door from opening.

"Saki!" she yelled. "Help!"

She quickly rushed over to her and grabbed the doorknob. She started pulling instead. "Get outta here! We'll handle this!"

She nodded and let go. She fell to the ground and quickly turned and ran back out the front door. She slammed it shut behind her.

She swallowed. The door was being tugged with the force of a truck from the other side. _Damn, what the hell is this strength?!_ She planted her boot on the wall and started pulling back even harder than she already was. "Misa? Is that you?"

"Grraaugghahh…" A moan escaped from the room.

"I knew it," Ai whispered to herself. "Saki, let go. There's no point."

She sighed. _Damn it…_ She released her hands from the doorknob and the bedroom door swung open. She shook her head at what she saw.

Before her was a tall, silver-haired girl with sunken, red, glowing eyes. Her skin was undoubtedly green and her entire right arm was covered in bandages. Her mouth hung open and she stared back at her blankly. "Hraauugrhah…" Misa moaned as she fell backwards onto the ground.

"God DAMN IT!" Saki yelled. "I knew it!"

Ai put her head in her hands. "What're we gonna do…?"

She bent down and scowled at her. "You should've known better than to enlist Braindead, you dumbass."

She took out her phone. "I'm calling Lily…" She walked into the bathroom and closed the door.

"Fine." She stared down at the zombie in front of her. _Swear to god, Misa. The hell did you think was gonna happen?_ She walked into the bedroom and lifted her onto her feet. "Damn it…"

"Graaauugghah…"

"Shut up, dammit!" She pulled her by the arm into the living room and threw her onto the couch. She looked around the apartment and noticed a window over the sink. She walked over to it, moved aside the curtains, and cracked it open slightly.

"How is she doing?" one girl asked.

"She's a zombie. How the hell do you think she's doing?"

"Is she gonna be okay?" another inquired.

"How the hell am I supposed to know?!"

"W-well, you're a zombie, so…"

She sighed and rolled her eyes. _Doesn't mean I know everything there is to know about being one, damn it…_ She turned back to Misa, who was now chewing on one of the couch cushions. "I've got no idea what to do."

"Well you have to do something!" another one yelled. "She's not supposed to be like this!"

She cocked her head to the side mockingly. "Oh, damn, really? I had no idea. You wanna die?"

"N-no!" she replied.

"Consider the truce continued until further notice," Kozue said through the window. "We need your help to get her back to normal."

"She probably won't ever be 'back to normal'," Ai pointed out as she emerged from the bathroom. "She's a zombie now. She's already dead."

"Will she ever be… smart, like you guys are?"

She shrugged. "Who knows? We don't even know how we're conscious at all."

"Well, figure it out! We need her back!"

"You expect us to just figure this out in one day? We've been wondering it for weeks!"

"Isn't there something you can do?"

Saki groaned and rubbed her temples. "I can't believe I'm actually doing this…" She peered out the window down to the parking lot below. "Hey, Maria! You still got that chick's number from yesterday?"

* * *

"Thank you so much for changing your mind!" Harue exclaimed excitedly. "I'm so excited!"

"We're only doing this 'cause we have to," Maria reminded her hostilely. "Don't make us regret it."

"Right! Yeah! Okay!" She sprinted up the stairs to the apartment and shoved her way past the Korosuke members. "Open up! Open up!"

"You're only here to figure out how to make her sentient," Ai reminded her through the window. "Understand?"

"Right! Yes! Got it! Let me in!"

She shot a glance at Saki. "You've got her down?"

She had Misa in a hold on the couch that would prevent her from attacking the human. "Ready."

She turned back to the window. "Alright, but be careful." She leaned over to the door and slowly creaked it open.

Harue rushed in and quickly inspected Misa. "Ooh! Interesting! So she was converted by a bite, you say?! Fascinating! Which one of you bit her?"

"Hraaauughh!" Misa started struggling to break free.

"It wasn't any of us," Ai explained. "It was a different one."

"That doesn't matter, damn it!" Saki yelled angrily. "Just tell us what we need to do to make her not braindead!"

Harue grabbed Misa's head and looked into her eyes. "Hmmm… interesting!" She released her, slid her backpack off her back, and started digging through it. She pulled out a box of medium-sized latex gloves. "Not without gloves…"

"What are you doing?"

"I'm measuring her brain activity!" she replied, slipping on a glove and smiling.

"Don't you need some kind of helmet for that?" Ai asked.

"For a human, yes, but she's a zombie!" She put her hands back on the zombie's head. "If I break into her skull, will she be okay?"

"What the hell?! You wanna die?!" Saki yelled.

"What? Do you not know?"

"I'm not gonna let you dig into her head, damn it!"

She pouted. "Awh! Can I dig into her arteries?"

"No!"

"What about her spine?"

"How the hell would you measure brain activity with the spine?!"

"The spine is part of the central nervous system!" she informed her excitedly.

"Huh?! It is?"

"Graaauuaarhagh!" Misa groaned. She shook her head and tried to get Harue's hands off of her.

"Just let her do the spine," Ai groaned.

"Yay!" She grinned and let go of Misa's head. "Oh, just so you know, I'll have to do the same test to one of you as a control! Can you roll her face-down for me, please?"

"Uhh, sure…" Saki slipped her foot in front of Misa's feet and pushed her over.

"Gruurgh!" Misa exclaimed as she crashed into the floor. She tried to struggle, but Saki held her hands tightly behind her back and sat on her legs.

"Okay! Here we go!" She reached into her backpack and pulled out a small voltmeter. She pulled the positive needle off of it, pulled back Misa's collar, and plunged it into the back of her neck.

"HRRAAAUGAHRAH!"

"Oh my god!" Ai covered her eyes and turned away.

There were a number of gasps from outside the window.

"Oh, don't be such babies!" Harue said sweetly. She turned on the voltmeter and switched it to millivolts. Then she plunged the second needle into the side of her neck. She looked down at her voltmeter and smiled. "Hmm, interesting!"

"What? What does it say?" Saki asked.

"I have no idea!" she replied happily. "I have to see what it says on one of you in order to make sense of these readings! Let me just write this down…" She took out a notepad and a pen and started scribbling something down. "Which one of you will be the control?"

"Saki," Ai said. "I've been struck by lightning before. It might interfere."

She looked up excitedly. "Lightning?! Really?!" She gasped. "Do you have those bandages on to hide Lichtenberg figures?!"

"Lichtenberg figures? What are those?"

"Hey! Pay attention!" Saki yelled. "One thing at a time!"

"Right! Sorry!" She looked back down and continued writing. "I'm just so excited!" She reached down and slapped Misa in the face.

"Graauuagh!"

She watched the readings fluctuate as she tried to move. "Interesting!" She looked back down and continued writing.

 _This girl is seriously weird…_ Saki stared at her skeptically. _Her personality is super annoying, but she might actually be able to tell us something useful about this…_

She pulled the two needles out of Misa's neck. "Okay! Now on to you! Hold still!"

She clenched her eyes shut and prepared for the needles to enter.

"Oh! Interesting!"

She opened her eyes. "What? What's interesting?"

"The shape of your neck… it's flat on one side! Doesn't matter, though." She plunged the needles into her neck without warning.

"GAH! FUCK!"

"Oh, calm down! It's only a tiny little prick!" She started writing something down behind her.

"Yeah, but you did it without warning me! You gotta tell me when you're gonna do that, damn it!"

"Sorry! My social skills are lacking in some areas," she replied without a hint of actual regret.

 _Yeah, no shit!_ She looked up at Ai, who seemed to be in deep thought. "What's going on, Bandages?"

She looked up. "Huh? Nothing. I'm just thinking."

"About what?"

She paused and bit her lip. "My body…?"

Harue looked up, grinning from ear to ear. "I can tell you anything you need to know!"

"Hey, focus on the neck crap, alright?!" Saki yelled. "I wanna get these damn needles outta me!"

"Okay!" she replied cheerily. She kept writing. She slapped her on the cheek suddenly.

"Hey! The hell was that?!"

"Interesting!" she exclaimed. She scribbled down one last thing on the paper and pulled out the needles, again without warning.

"Gah! Cut that out!"

She stood up and nodded. "Okay! All done!"

"Oh damn, really?" She looked up at her.

"Yup! There is a considerable difference between your nervous systems!" She looked down at her paper. "Yours fires off significantly more frequently and more powerfully! I think you have much higher brain activity."

"So how do we get her brain activity back up?" Ai asked.

"You probably want to do something that excites her! Get some adrenaline pumping or something!"

"Like what?"

"I don't know!" she yelled excitedly. "But thank you so much for letting me do this! Is there anything else I can do?!" She eagerly bounced up and down. "Studying you is so much fun!"

"Uh, I think we're good," Saki answered.

"Actually," Ai protested, "I'd like to know more about my body."

Harue gasped. "Really?!"

"Well, you seem to know what you're doing somewhat… I think I misjudged you."

"Wait, seriously?" Saki asked _. I'm not the only one?_

"But not right now. We're taking care of Misa."

"O-of course! I'll wait however long you need!" She bounced up and down, squealing with excitement.

 _I'm glad she said it first…_ She sighed and looked back up. "Okay, well, thanks for your help, uhh…"

"Harue! Harue Yamamoto! I hope to hear from you soon!" She slipped off her gloves and put the voltmeter and notepad back in her backpack. She stood up and walked over to the door. She turned around one last time and bowed. "Thank you!" She walked out the door.

Ai turned back to Saki. "So we need to get her adrenaline pumping? What do we do?"

She stared at her blankly. "Seriously?"

"I'm just kidding. Let's take her for a ride."


	66. The Journalist's Revenge

"Are you sure this will work?" Junko asked.

"It's not like we have any other options," Ai reminded her.

Saki snickered to herself quietly. "Oh, man…"

Before her stood Kozue, who was wearing two sweatshirts, a hockey mask, goggles, snow pants, and winter gloves on top of her regular uniform. These, of course, were to protect her from Misa, who was currently being tied to her back.

"Okay! Got it!" Lily yelled. "That knot is super tight!" She ran back over to the rest of Dorami.

Kozue turned around. "Okay!" She looked at Maria. "We'll call you if anything happens."

"Okay," Maria said.

"Are you sure you'll be alright?" Junko asked, concerned.

"I'll be fine," Kozue assured her. "Besides, she clearly had to be bit pretty hard to end up like this. Tae bit lots of people, but I guess it only actually infected her once she reached blood. I should be fine. I've got protection on, and besides, I'm not a very good bleeder."

"Be careful, Kozue-san," a Korosuke girl warned her.

"I'll be fine! Seriously! Chill!" She climbed onto her bike.

"Graarrgh…" Misa grumbled as she was dragged with her.

She turned on her bike and sped off.

Saki wiped a tear from her eye. "Oh man, she looked hilarious…"

"That's just what was necessary to protect herself. Now that we know that a deep enough bite can actually infect someone, we should do everything we can to prevent it from happening again," Ai pointed out.

"But what about Tae?" Lily pointed out. "We don't know where she is!"

"Well, I think as long as no one attacks Sakura, we're good," Maria suggested. "She didn't bite anyone that hard until she was actually protecting her."

"It's still a little unnerving…" Junko commented. "Who knows where they are?"

"Who cares? She's not our problem anymore," she reminded them. "All we can do is hope that nothing bad happens. It's out of our hands."

The five stood there silently for a moment.

"Who wants to go on patrol?" she asked.

* * *

Maria held her arm out to the side, signaling for the group to get ready to stop. After a moment, she braked and peered into the park. Two men seemed to be having a conversation on a seesaw. She killed her engine. "Look at these dudes," she said to the zombies behind her as they killed their engines as well.

"Let's do it," Saki replied.

The five stepped off their bikes in perfect unison and got into formation. They slowly started walking up to the two men on the seesaw.

The man on the left noticed them out of the corner of his eye. He was young, with brown hair and a childlike face. He wore a white shirt with a green vest and blue jeans. He had a camera around his neck. "W-whoa! You really weren't kidding!"

Saki raised an eyebrow. _Getting popular, are we?_ She smirked.

The second man looked up and grinned. "Hello again, Dorami. I see you've all had quite the makeover since we last met."

Ai gasped. "You again?!"

The smirk fell from Saki's face. _No! Okoba!_

"What?! Who is this dude?!" Maria asked in a panic.

She gritted her teeth. "Shinta Okoba. That journalist dude who we trashed on the train."

"That's Shinta Okoba?!" Lily yelled. "He works with Sakura!"

He smiled. "Lily Hoshikawa. Nice to meet you." He looked down at her exposed heart. "I see you flaunt your cause of death quite openly."

"Shut up! I hate you!" she replied angrily.

He looked at Maria. "And you are?"

"That's none of your business!" Ai yelled. She leaned in close and whispered in her boss' ear. "Don't tell him anything. He tried to blackmail us last time."

"I know that. I'm not stupid," she replied.

His gaze turned to Saki. "I see you got your arm back. Sakura was very upset to see Lily run off with it."

"Yeah, it's my assbeating arm! The hell are you here for, dumbass?!"

"I'm here to check up on you. I heard you were in the area."

"We're not telling you anything!" Lily protested. "You work with Sakura!"

He rested his cheek on his fist. "I wish that were still true. A few days ago, she slammed the door in my face, saying she couldn't trust me. I haven't seen her since."

"Liar!"

"God, I wish I was lying…" He crossed his arms and glared to the side. "I have no clue where she is. Her phone is still in the same spot as it was when I last saw her. It hasn't moved in days."

"Her phone?" Junko asked.

"I bought her a burner phone so I could talk to her behind Koutarou's back, but I also put a tracker in it so I could see where she was. She was the one feeding me information about the case." He sighed. "Now I need a new contact." He looked back at them. "I have information you might want."

"What kind?" Maria asked.

"Details about Sakura, ones about Korosuke-"

"We already know about Sakura and Korosuke," Ai told him. "Korosuke betrayed her and Saki threw her off a bridge last night."

"Huh?!"

Saki elbowed her in the side. "Don't tell him anything!" she whispered loudly.

"Oh, right. Whoops," she said.

"What about Koutarou?" Junko inquired. "Is he still looking for us?"

"Him?" He smiled. "Well, I could tell you… if you were willing to tell me something in return."

"What?!" Ai yelled.

Maria leaned in close to him and scowled. "Listen here, paperboy. This isn't a trade. You're gonna tell us."

There was a camera snap. The five looked to the left and saw the other man snap picture after picture of them.

She stood back up and simply snapped her fingers.

Saki grabbed the camera out of his hands and threw it on the ground. She stepped on it repeatedly. "No pictures, damn it!" She gritted her teeth. It was more durable than she thought. "Hey, Bandages, a little help?"

Ai stepped forward and pulled the nail gun out of her pocket. "Step back." She aimed, pulled the trigger, and pulled back the pressure sensor at the end. A nail went flying out the barrel and blasted its way through the camera lens. She slipped the nail gun back into her pocket.

She looked back at Okoba and gritted her teeth. "You think you can screw with us, huh? You think so?!"

Shinta fell to the ground as his photographer stood up. "Ugh!"

"O-Okoba-san, I don't think we should be messing with these girls…" he said shakily. He backed away from them slowly.

He glared at him. "Idiot! We have to figure out what the hell is going on in this town!" He pointed at the zombies. "These girls are more important than whatever that coward assigned us," he said.

Ai's eyes shot open. "You ARE publishing things!"

"What happened to 'no malicious intent', huh?!" Saki yelled. She cracked her knuckles. "Alright, Ma- boss. Step aside. I'm gonna beat his ass."

Maria stepped back so Saki could get started.

"W-wait! Okay! I'll tell you!" He yelled. "Koutarou isn't looking for you! He's only looking for Sakura! Also, that's not his real name! Also, I'm not publishing anything! I never said I was!"

Junko stared down at him angrily. "How can we trust you?! Not even Sakura trusts you!"

"You should publish this!" Lily picked up a rock and threw it at him.

He put his hand to his head where the rock hit him. "Gah!"

"Tsk!" Maria turned away. "Let's get outta here!" She led the zombies back to their bikes. "Don't mess with Dorami again or you'll regret it!"

The five climbed onto their bikes and sped off.

"Oh, man, Okoba-san, I didn't think that rumor was actually true… Those girls are actually dead celebrities?!" He sighed. "It's a shame they didn't tell us anything, though." He looked back at the camera on the ground sadly.

"Idiot. Do you have any idea how much they told us right there?" He smiled. "That girl's jacket had her name on the back."

* * *

The five of them were stopped in the shadows of a parking garage. It was the same one Saki had escaped from Korosuke on a week prior. They sat in their circle, this time with five pizzas between them.

"I gotta admit," Maria said, "the rock was a nice touch."

Lily gasped. "You think so?"

"Yeah!" Saki cheered. "'Publish this!' Haha! That was great!"

"Yay!" She smiled wide then took another bite of her pizza.

"Sorry I kinda leaked our info…" Ai said.

"Ah, don't worry about it. What could he possibly do with that?" Saki shrugged and slid another bite of pizza into her mouth.

"You don't think destroying the camera was a bit much?" Junko asked.

"If we didn't, they would have had our picture," Maria pointed out. "We want to stay an urban legend for now."

"I suppose so… but we could have just taken out the film…"

"The film? You mean the SD card or whatever?"

"What's an SD card?"

She rolled her eyes. "Oh yeah. Generation gap." She took another bite of pizza.

"Wait, we don't even know that the SD card was destroyed," Ai pointed out. "They might still have those pictures."

Saki shrugged. "I'm sure the nail took care of it." She stuffed the crust into her mouth. "Mmf…"

"You eat the crust, Saki-chan?" Lily asked.

"What? Do you not?" Maria asked.

"Why would you?" Ai rebutted. "It doesn't have anything on it. It's just bread."

"That's what makes it so good, though!" She turned to Junko. "Marshmallow! What do you think?"

"H-huh? I like the crust…" she said quietly.

"Three against two! That's a majority!" She high-fived Saki.

Ai rolled her eyes. "It's just bread…"

Saki swallowed. "It's more than bread, though. It's the satisfaction of knowing you finished what you started!" She picked up another piece. "And damn, do I love finishing pizza."

"Oh, good, you got your bandages right," she noticed. "I had trouble the first time I did it."

"Huh?" She reached up to her neck. "Oh, right. I honestly forgot about them."

"How do you forget about something like that?" Maria asked. "It isn't, like, choking you?"

"We don't exactly need to breathe," Ai pointed out. "I personally don't most of the time."

"Oh, okay."

The five all ate together in silence for a moment.

"You really think he can't do anything with what we told him, Saki?" Ai asked again.

Saki glared at her. "Relax, will you? None of that matters. What matters is that Shrimpy threw a rock at him!" She held out her hand across the circle for a high-five.

"Yeah!" Lily cheered. She stood up and high-fived her sister excitedly.

* * *

Koutarou was passed out at his desk when the phone rang. He slowly sat up, his head pounding. "Mmmm…" He reached into his pocket and pulled out the phone. It was Okoba. He answered. "Hello?"

"Well, Tatsumi, I've got some more info, if you're willing to pay."

He rubbed the bridge of his nose in a hungover stupor. "What is it?"

"The name and address of Dorami's boss."


	67. The Reawakening

When Sakura awoke, her eyes were already open. _Huh?_ She blinked repeatedly and kept staring where she was already staring. After a moment, her eyes focused. She propped herself up on her elbow and looked around. _What was I doing?_

She was on the ground of a flat, spacious forest. Thick, curvy trees reached up to the skies above and sunlight peeked through the leaves. She laid on a thick bed of branches and pine needles which clearly hadn't occurred naturally.

She slowly climbed to her feet and looked around. She took a few steps forward and felt the humid forest air on her skin. _Where am I?_ she thought to herself. She gently rested her hand on a tree next to her and looked around.

A twig snapped behind her.

She slowly turned around and squealed in shock at what she saw. "Eee!"

Before her stood a black-haired girl with sunken eyelids and green skin shuffling towards her with her arms outstretched. She wore a mostly black outfit that showed off the fact that she was heavily bandaged. She leaned forward and planted her hands on Sakura's shoulders. "Grahurgaraarghah!"

She was petrified with fear. She stared into the eyes of the zombie before her with her teeth clenched shut. She felt the zombie's fingers press into her shoulder and her breathing picked up. Not a single thought went through her head, but after a moment her flight-or-fight response kicked in. She quickly leaned forward and attempted to push the zombie off of her with her right hand, clenching her eyes shut. She was incredibly surprised to find that, not only did she not hit the zombie, but half of her arm was missing. _What the?! What?!_ While her mind raced for an explanation, her instinct fired off and she immediately pushed with the other arm instead.

The zombie fell to her knees as her head spun around to face backwards. "Urrgarh…" She collapsed.

Sakura opened her eyes back up and looked at the zombie on the ground. She noticed the zombie's left arm was still attached to her shoulder. "Eh- ehuaha!" She clenched her eyes shut, grabbed it, and threw it to the ground. She looked back down at her stump and noticed a long green sleeve covered it. _What are you doing?! Run!_ Her brain screamed at her and she quickly turned and ran away from the zombie on the forest floor, screaming at the top of her lungs. Each step she took, she felt her heart pound harder and harder. Only one thought coursed through her head: _escape._ She didn't know where she was, she didn't know where her arm was, but she knew that she had to get out of there immediately. After what felt like an eternity, she saw one sparkling sign of hope: a road with several buildings on it running through the forest. She ran straight into the street and into a building on the other side. She slammed the door shut behind her with her left hand and took a moment to catch her breath.

She appeared to be in an empty dessert shop. There were several small tables throughout the store, but most of the floor was reserved for the astronomically large amounts of vending machines, shelves of candy, and cases of cakes and cookies.

"H-hello? Is anyone here?" Sakura asked shakily.

"Yes, I'll be there in just a second!" The voice of a middle-aged man came from around the corner.

"Please! You have to help me!" She ran towards where the voice came from. "There's a zombie in the forest, and I don't know where my arm is, and I don't know where I am! Please!" She stepped around the corner.

The man was bent over stocking a shelf with lines of wrapped lollipops. "Hey, is everything alright?" The man looked up from what he was doing and turned around. The warm glow from his face immediately vanished. The candy dropped to the floor. "Wh-wh-what are you?!"

"H-huh?!" She stepped forward. "Are you o-"

"S-stay back!" He fell over and started inching backwards. "A-are you one of those delinquents I've heard about?!"

She looked around. "What? Who are you talking to?" She turned around and something shiny caught her eye. She looked up and noticed that in the upper corner of the store there was a convex mirror.

Staring back at her was a red-haired girl with sunken eyelids and green skin. A large scar spanned her forehead. She wore a mostly black outfit that showed off a fair amount of her green midriff. Her right arm was nowhere to be seen, instead replaced by a green sleeve that complemented her skin color well.

 _What… what's going on? Is that… me?_ For the first time since she woke up, she looked down at herself. She was wearing the exact same clothes as the girl in the mirror and the girl in the woods. She held her hand out in front of her and stared at it. It was undoubtedly green. _What…?_

"W-we have security cameras, you know!" the man behind her yelled. "D-d-don't do anything you'll regret!"

She felt her heart thump in her chest. She stared down at her palm as the graphic imagery of her death came flying back to her. _Am I… a zombie?_ She recalled in her mind the truck coming out of nowhere. _I… died…?_ She felt the feeling of flying through the air in her final moments again. _Is this a dream?_

"G-get out of here! Scram!" the man behind her pleaded. "Please, just leave me alone!"

She slowly turned and caught another glimpse of the trembling man. She stared at him for another moment before she turned and walked back around the corner. She walked back out the front door of the store, across the street, and back into the woods.

"Graauuraahraargh!"

She looked up to see the girl from before charging at her, but she didn't care. She stared silently at the girl rapidly approaching. _This is all just a bad dream…_ She fell to her knees and laid back down on the ground. She closed her eyes once more as the zombie pounced on her.

She landed over her, but didn't actually do anything. She sat back and cocked her head. "Graughg?"

She felt the zombie poke her in the face. _Ow!_ She felt it again. _Ow! What the-_ After a third poke, she sat up angrily. "What are you doing that for?!"

"Grahurgahurg…" She went to poke her again.

Sakura swatted her hand away. "Stop that! Leave me alone!"

The girl cocked her head to the side. "Hraaerg?"

She stared at the girl in front of her. _What is this girl's problem?_ She scowled and stood up. She started walking deeper into the woods away from her.

"Graarurg…" she turned around and trailed her.

She looked over her shoulder. _Is she… following me?_ She picked up the pace and watched as the zombie behind her did the same. She stopped and turned back around. "Why are you following me?!" she yelled.

The girl merely stared at her.

She groaned. "You're not gonna say anything, are you?"

"Grhhhuhrhhh…"

She rolled her eyes and kept walking through the woods. She looked down at her missing arm. _I don't like this dream…_

* * *

Sakura emerged on the opposite side of the forest on the edge of a farm. She looked around. In the distance, she could see several mountains that were familiar to her. _Am I… in Karatsu?_ She stepped out of the woods. _Then that means that I was just in Nijinomatsubara Forest…_ She looked behind her to see the other zombie was still following her. She scowled. "What is your problem?!"

The girl merely cocked her head. "Grrhahrh?"

She groaned and faced forward again. She walked through the farmland and noticed there was a river near the end. She jogged over to it and looked down. Her reflection was merely a silhouette with two glowing red eyes in the middle. _Come on. I wanna wake up…_

The other zombie walked up behind her. "Graaugh…"

She stood back up and turned to face her fellow zombie. "Why aren't I waking up?"

She cocked her head again and groaned. "Grhh…"

She squinted at her. "You know, for a zombie, you're not that scary."

"Garrh…"

She frowned. _If I'm dreaming and I know that, why aren't I flying around right now? I should be having a good time, not standing here staring at some stupid zombie._ She held her fist up to the sky and stood on her toes. _Fly!_ She was annoyed when nothing happened. "Come on! Why isn't this dream doing what I want?" She knocked on her own head. "Hello?"

The zombie in front of her merely stared.

"Hey! What are you two girls doing over there?" a voice behind her asked. "You know this place is private property, right? You know I can have you two arrested, right?"

Sakura turned around. "O-oh! S-sorry! We'll be gone in a second!"

The police officer froze immediately. "G-gahah!" He fell over backwards and his bike crashed into the ground. "Y-you again!"

"Huh? Again? What are you talking about?"

He whipped out his gun and pointed it at her. "S-stay back!"

She stared blankly at him. "I'm not even moving…"

There was a loud bang as the officer pulled the trigger.

She slowly looked down. There was now a small bullet-sized hole in her chest. It burned.

"GRAAAHRHGAH!" The girl behind her jumped across the river and landed atop the officer. She swatted the gun to the side. "GAHRRHAAHRAHARHAGHRA!" She grabbed him and started shaking him violently.

Sakura stared at the new smoking hole in her chest in astonishment. _It… hurts…_ She lifted a hand to it slowly. _Dreams… don't… hurt…_ She leaned forward and fell towards the river. _Is this… real…?_ She let her body go limp as she hit the surface of the water. _This pain…_ she stared up at the surface of the water as she sank to the bottom. _It's too real…_ She watched bubbles float out of her wound up to the surface.

The other zombie jumped into the water with her. She slowly sank to the bottom and squatted above her, staring into her eyes.

 _I actually died…?_

A fluid image of the police officer appeared above the surface of the river. He seemed terrified.

The girl looked up and saw the officer. "Grahagrahar!" she yelled through the water, bubbles leaking out of her mouth. She leaned down and took a large clump of her hair into her mouth. She started running downstream on all fours slowly.

Sakura looked up at the girl dragging her. _What… is… this?_ She felt the mud of the riverbed slide against her exposed back. _I can't… I can't…_ She closed her eyes one more time.


	68. The Long Wait

Lily plucked a cigarette out of a girl's mouth and threw it on the ground. She stomped it out. "Smoking is bad for you!"

"Shrimpy's right," Saki agreed. "You could be spending money on much better things. Like paying tribute to us so I don't have to kick your ass. 5,000 yen."

Maria watched with her arms crossed as her crew harassed a group of teenagers who they had caught smoking in their territory. Suddenly, her phone started ringing. She pulled it out of her pocket, looked at it, and put it to her ear. "Kozue. Talk to me."

All the zombies turned to look at her.

She flicked her hand, signaling for them to keep going. "She passed out? From what?"

Ai and Junko continued circling the group of smokers.

Saki turned back to the girl she was in the middle of jostling. "Are you gonna pay up or am I gonna have to kick your ass?"

"I-I can pay!" she stuttered out. She reached into her wallet.

"Where are you now?" Maria continued. She paused briefly. "Okay, we'll be right over." She flipped the phone shut. "Okay, guys, let's wrap this up! We gotta get moving!"

Lily snatched the money out of the girl's hand and shoved it in her pocket. She pointed at the one girl they hadn't gotten to. "You got lucky this time, dummy!"

They all turned and walked back to their bikes.

"She passed out?" Ai asked.

"Yeah. Apparently, she just suddenly went limp while she was riding. She went back to the apartment." She climbed onto her bike. "She can't get out of the knot Shrimpy tied," she snickered.

"It just goes to show how good I am at tying knots!" Lily said with a smile as she hopped back onto her bike.

Maria revved her engine. "Alright! Let's ride!"

* * *

Ai knocked on the door.

Kozue threw it open. She had taken off everything on her head, clearly showing that she was absolutely drenched in sweat. "Oh, thank god. Take this damn knot off of me." She turned to the side, revealing the knot the child had tied earlier.

Lily walked into the doorway and pulled on two parts of the knot. It fell apart in her hands. "There you go!"

Misa fell forward and crashed into the side of the kitchen counter.

"Oh, whoops."

Kozue sighed. "Finally." She walked into the apartment and started taking off more layers she had been sporting. "Can one of you take care of her?"

Saki bent down and grabbed her by the armpits. "Crap, she's so heavy…!"

"Because she's tall," Ai reminded her. "Here. I'll get the other side." She leaned down and grabbed her left arm.

The two girls dragged her to the bedroom, threw her limp body onto the bed, then returned to the main room.

Kozue finally returned to her usual outfit. She moaned in relief. "God, that was so hot." She fell onto the couch and closed her eyes. "I'm gonna take a nap. Can you guys watch her?"

"Yeah, sure," Maria sighed. "We were pretty much done for the day, anyways." She closed the front door behind them.

"If we go off what we know from when we woke up," Ai said, "we've probably got some time to kill."

"Misa's room has a TV in it," Kozue pointed out. "If you decide to use it, close the door so I can't hear you."

Lily gasped. "Let's watch some TV!" She disappeared into the bedroom.

"Hell yeah!" Saki cheered. She started running back towards the bedroom, but was stopped when a hand grabbed her shoulder. "Huh?"

"Can we talk for a second? Alone?" Ai asked.

"Uh, yeah, sure…"

The two girls walked out the front door.

Maria sighed. "Guess it's TV, then…" she walked into the bedroom. "Junko, you coming?"

"Oh, I think I'll use the restroom first," she said politely. "I'll be in in a moment."

"Okay." She closed the door behind her and sat down on the edge of the bed. Across from her was a small dresser topped off with a small TV.

Lily grabbed the remote off the dresser and ran back to the bed. She sat down and turned on the TV, bouncing with anticipation. "I love TV! And there's so much stuff that came out after I died that I haven't seen!"

She stared at the TV as it warmed up quietly. After a moment, she turned to the child. "Hey, Shrimpy. You miss anyone from when you were alive?"

She put her hand to her chin for a second. "Hmm… nope, I don't think so."

"Huh? Really?"

"Nope! Because now I have you guys! And I still have my pappy!" She smiled cheekily.

"Yeah?" She put her hand to her chin. "I thought you didn't like him… On Wednesday you said something like 'I don't wanna see him', but now you all live with him. What's with that?"

"Yeah, I was pretty upset with him back then… when I died, he was being really mean and selfish… But then, I died and he apologized and we made up! And we sat down with Saki-chan and we told him how we got there and he fed us dinner and we got to watch TV together again! He was crying so much." She looked down and kicked her feet happily. "And now everyone lives with me! I have sisters!" she beamed.

She paused for a second and looked back at the TV. "You just… made up? You seemed really pissed at him on Wednesday, but by the end of the day you were watching TV together?"

"Even if he makes me upset sometimes, he's still my pappy. I know that he still loves me, even when we don't get along! He even let me be a biker, even though he didn't really want me to!"

She slowly turned to look at her again. "He didn't want you to be a biker?"

"Nope! And he made Saki-chan promise to keep me safe. He really only did it because he cares about me, though, so it's okay! He even gave us a spot in the garage to put our bikes!"

She stared at her for a long moment.

The TV's screen finally lit up and sound started pouring out of its speakers.

"Oh, hey! It's finally on!" Lily pointed the remote at the TV and pressed the guide button. "Whaddya wanna watch?"

Maria leaned back on the bed and stared up at the ceiling. "I don't care. You choose."

* * *

Saki closed the front door behind them. "Watcha wanna talk about?"

Ai leaned on the railing and stared out into the parking lot. She sighed. "That Harue girl… this morning, she said something that really caught my attention."

She stepped forward and put her elbows down next to hers. "Was it the licking bird thing?"

"Lichtenberg figures… they're scars that people get when they're struck by lightning."

"Yeah, those."

"Well… she really wasn't that far off… my body's a combination of lightning scars and burns." She held her hands out in front of her and stared at the bandages on her exposed fingers. "And… I don't know. I can't stop thinking about it."

She stared at her silently.

"My body is… disgusting. I can't stand to look at it. And I figured you might know something about that sort of thing… y'know, since you have to wear bandages, too."

She sighed. "Yeah, my body's pretty gross. It's all burns from the explosion. And when I touch them, it hurts."

"Those kinds of things are supposed to heal, though, right…?"

"Yeah. It's weird. It's like everything that I had when I died is still here, but everything else heals." She held up her shirt and poked her abdomen. "The hole where I got stabbed is already gone, but I've still got burns from twenty-one years ago."

She shook her head. "I don't know. Our bodies are so weird." She looked down at the ground below. "It's kind of why I want to go see Harue again. Maybe she can find a way to take the scars away."

"Aw, but then your nickname wouldn't work!" she joked. She paused for a moment. "Yeah, I've thought about seeing her too."

She looked over at her. "Seriously?"

She sighed. "During the fight against Tae, I was seriously getting my ass handed to me. I couldn't keep up. She wasn't even fighting, either. She was just being a zombie. I would've lost if Sakura hadn't called her off." She held up her arm. "I was lucky to get out with just these."

She stared at her silently.

"If it weren't for Korosuke, Sakura probably would've captured us back there. I have to be able to protect you guys from her." She looked down. "I need to find out what she was doing and be able to do it myself so that I can actually beat her if we run into her again."

"Saki…" she whispered.

She looked back up at her sister. "But, y'know. It's whatever. I wanna go see her, too."

"We should all go see her tomorrow together," she suggested.

"Only if she's not as annoying as she was this morning."

She laughed. "She was pretty rude, wasn't she?"

"She stabbed me in the neck! Twice! Without warning!"

"Hey, at least she didn't dig into your brain like she wanted to originally."

"Oh, gross!" She smirked. "I really didn't need that picture in my mind."

She looked back out to the parking lot. "We'll probably have to set some boundaries with her when we go."

"Yeah."

The two looked out into the mid-afternoon sky silently.

"Welp," Saki said, "let's go watch some TV."


	69. The Eighth

Misa groaned and opened her eyes. She stared up at her bedroom ceiling silently. She slowly stretched out on the bed and felt multiple satisfying snaps and pops throughout her body.

Ai gasped. "Maria, get behind me! She's up!"

Her eyes nearly bulged out of her head at the sound of the zombie's voice. She sat up, shocked to see all five Dorami members in her room staring at her. "Dorami?! What on EARTH are you doing here?" she interrogated, flustered.

She sighed in relief. "Nevermind."

Junko took a relaxed breath. "Thank goodness… I was really worried that wouldn't work…"

Lily paused the TV and looked back at her. "Misa! You're awake!"

Misa scanned the five girls before her suspiciously. "Why are you all here? Who let you in?"

Maria sighed and stepped out from behind Ai. "Misa… remember when Tae bit you last night?"

"Hm?" She looked down at her bandaged arm. "I do…" She said nothing as she got an eyeful of her own exposed midriff and legs. She paused for a moment then peeled off a black glove. She held her green hand out in front of her and stared at it. "Oh, dear…"

Ai sighed. "Misa, you're a zombie. I'm sorry."

"I see." She flipped her hand over and looked at her palm. She slowly slid off the bed and rose to her feet. "I was worried this would happen." She opened her closet to reveal a full-body mirror on the inside of the closet door. She stared at herself.

Saki walked up behind her and put her hand on her shoulder. "You okay?"

"Emotionally, yes. I knew this was a possibility from the start." She closed her eyes and shook her head. "I'm just upset that I actually let it happen." She turned to the zombies behind her. "Is it reversible?"

Junko shook her head. "Not as far as we know, no. I'm afraid you're stuck this way."

"Better get used to it," Maria shrugged. "This is your life now."

She put her hand to her chin. "What are the side effects?"

Ai started counting on her fingers. "You don't need to breathe, you don't need to sleep, you don't need to eat, you don't age, your limbs can fall off, you can get stabbed, your eyes glow in the dark, and… well, now we know that if you bite someone hard enough, they become one, too, so don't."

"I don't plan to."

"Although," Junko pointed out, "is it possible that her traits are different? After all, she went from human directly to zombie. We all died for years before we woke up, but for her it hasn't even been a full day."

Ai put her hand to her chin. "You've got a point," she muttered under her breath.

"I won't crave human flesh, will I?" Misa asked.

"Nope!" Lily said. "I only crave rice balls! But you're probably gonna need makeup if you ever wanna go do something normal, 'cause people are probably gonna be super scared of you!"

"I see."

"She doesn't look as scary as you guys, though," Maria pointed out. "She just looks weird."

"It's probably the outfit," Lily pointed out. "It doesn't look as good as it did before."

"You know what? You're totally right," she said with a smug smile.

Misa let out a sly grin. "You would think so, Dorami. Why don't you put your money where your mouth is?"

Saki smirked. "Think you can win now that we're on equal footing, huh? You don't have half the guts I do."

Ai rolled her eyes. "Back to this, are we?"

"Shouldn't we discuss Sakura?" Junko asked.

"What's there to discuss?" Maria asked. "If we see her, we get the hell outta there. That simple."

"It's not like she has a bike anymore," Misa concurred. "I'll just tell my girls to avoid her at all costs."

"Oh, okay," she replied.

"So we're done?" Lily asked.

"Yeah, we're done. She's awake. She can take care of herself."

"Yay!" She hopped off the bed. "Let's go home!"

"What, so we can watch more TV?" Saki asked jokingly.

"I desperately need to shower," Ai said. "I didn't get to last night. Neither did you."

Her smile fell. "Oh yeah." She turned back to Misa. "Well, we'll see you around, you Korosuke bitch."

"The same to you, Nikaido."

She smiled smugly. "Alright, let's go." She turned and walked out of the bedroom, quickly followed by the rest of her crew. She sighed. "Man, can't wait to actually use the pajamas I bought on Monday."

"We still haven't seen episode three," Junko added. "I think tonight we finally have enough time for it."

Ai smiled. "Oh, you two are in for a treat."

Saki opened the door and walked out. "Oh, Misa! Kozue's passed out on your couch!"

"Okay!"

She headed down the stairs with the rest of her crew behind her. "Man, she was out for a long time."

Ai looked up at the night sky. "It's only 7 PM."

She shrugged. "Still, we got here like five hours ago." She climbed onto her bike. "Well, we're out. See ya tomorrow, Maria. Same time?"

She nodded. "Same as always."

"Bye, Maria-chan!" Lily waved.

"Until tomorrow," Ai smiled.

"Goodbye," Junko said.

Saki turned on her bike and all noise drowned out. She watched as the others did the same. She turned out to the road and held up her left hand, pointing to the sky. Then she sped off with the others behind her.

* * *

Maria pulled up at her house and climbed off her bike. She walked up to her garage, entered the code, and stepped back on. She walked the bike forward into the garage and parked it next to her old scooter. She turned it off and stuck the key in her pocket. She let out a sigh and walked out of the garage, closing it behind her. Her hair stood on end for one reason or another, and she felt uneasy. She turned and walked towards her house's stairs and noticed a large black van parked just past them. "The hell?" She put her hands in her pockets and approached the stairs carefully.

One of the van's doors opened. A tall figure stepped out, wearing a navy blue suit jacket around his shoulder and matching pants. Beneath he wore a white button-up with a red vest on top. He accessorized with a bow tie and sunglasses. "Maria Amabuki."

She stopped where she was, glared at him., and gritted her teeth. "Who the hell are you?! What're you here for?!"

He closed the van's door behind him and walked toward her slowly. "I'm looking for someone. A zombie."

She gasped as she put two and two together. "You're Shades!" She took a step back and got into a stance. "Like hell am I telling you where they are!"

"I don't need you to tell me where they are. I need you to tell me where Sakura is."

"Huh?"

"Sakura and Tae. You've already had an encounter."

"H-how the hell do you know that?!" she yelled.

"I can't tell you that."

"Tsk! You don't tell me, I don't tell you!"

He paused for a moment without moving a muscle. "Shinta Okoba."

"Dammit! I knew it!" She clenched her fists. "Well, I don't know where the hell she is! I haven't seen her since last night!"

"Who does know?"

She stared at him blankly. "No one does, dumbass! She and Tae just ran off somewhere!" She shook her head. "Even if I did know, why the hell would I tell you?! You'd help her take away my crew!"

"If that's what she wants to do, yes."

She breathed sharply through her teeth. "Why?! You know they don't wanna do it!"

He turned away and reopened the door to the van. "I can't tell you why." He climbed into the van and shut the door. The van started and drove away, leaving behind a large cloud of carbon monoxide.

She coughed in response to the air quality and watched the van fade into blackness. She stared for another moment, then turned and started up the stairs. She whipped out her phone and started texting Ai. "Okoba… is working… with Shades." She looked up from her phone for a moment to open the door in front of her. She walked in and sat down at the genkan. She started texting with one hand and untying her boot with the other. "He… just… approached me… outside my house."

"Welcome home, Maria…" a voice said behind her. "Do you want any dinner?"

She paused for a moment and slowly turned around. She stared at her mother in silence for a moment. Her thoughts turned back to what her crew had said about their family to her. She blinked. "Y-yeah, sure. Thanks."

* * *

The four zombies were around ten kilometers out of Karatsu when Ai's phone vibrated. She quickly took it out of her pocket and looked down at the message. She gasped, put the phone back in her pocket, pulled ahead of the group, and held her hand up above her with her pinky and her thumb extended. This was the signal the group had made for 'phone'. She was shaking it frantically.

Saki nodded and pulled up next to her. "LEMME SEE!" she shouted.

She reached into her pocket and pulled out her phone. She carefully leaned over to her right and handed it to her then fell back with the others.

She flipped it open and read the message currently on screen. Her eyes bulged open and she immediately squeezed down on her brake. She slid to a stop within seconds. She stared at the phone screen and read it over and over. _Crapcrapcrapcrapcrapcrapcrapcrap!_

The other three zombies flew past her, but quickly turned around and rolled back to where she was. One by one, they turned off their engines so they could talk.

"What the hell?! Okoba is working with Shades?!" Saki yelled.

"What?!" Junko and Lily exclaimed in unison.

"She says he approached her outside her house," Ai explained. "Somehow, Okoba found out who she was and told him."

"Damn it!" Saki yelled to herself. "I'm seriously gonna kill him!" _Dragging her into this is not cool!_

"If he was able to find Maria, it won't be long before he finds Sakura!" Junko pointed out in a panic. "And then… who knows what she could do to Maria if she knows her address?!"

She breathed sharply through her teeth. _We have to do something! I can't let her get her hands on Maria!_

"What about Misa?!" Lily pointed out. "She's a zombie, too, now! What will he do if he finds out about her?!" She gasped. "Do you think he'll kill her? Do you think he'll kill us?" Tears started forming in her eyes. "I'm scared!"

"I don't think anything like that will happen," Ai assured her, "but we shouldn't let him find out about Misa. He might do something equally terrible."

"But if he finds Sakura, she'll surely tell him about the bite," Junko said. "And then she'll lead him to her apartment…"

"Misa can take care of herself!" Saki rebutted. "She'll be fine! It's Maria we gotta worry about!"

"You don't think we should warn her, though?" she asked. "She doesn't know what we're up against…"

She sighed. "Yeah, I guess we should go tell her."

* * *

Ai pounded on the door. "Misa! Open up! We know you're in there!"

The door slowly opened to reveal Misa, standing before them in an oversized t-shirt and shorts. "You know, Dorami, I appreciate you being here when I woke up, but I'd appreciate it if you didn't show your faces here again."

Saki shoved her out of the way and walked into the apartment. "Listen, Misa. We've got bigger issues than trespassing."

"I'm not interested in your Dorami business," she replied coldly.

"This isn't Dorami business, it's zombie business."

She sighed and closed the door behind them. "Make it quick."

Ai started. "Did Sakura tell you about Koutarou?"

"I'm not familiar." She crossed her arms.

"He's the one who brought us back from the dead to be idols. Now, he knows where Maria lives and is likely very close to finding us."

She lowered her eyebrows. "This sounds like Dorami business."

"Let me finish!" she yelled. "If he manages to find Sakura, and she tells him that you've been bit, he could come for you."

She seemed intrigued. "When you say 'come for me', what do you mean?"

"We're not sure. We have no idea what he's capable of nor what he's willing to do. But you should watch out."

"I see." She put her hand to her chin for a long moment. "So I should avoid letting him know I'm a zombie at all costs."

"Right."

"And Sakura is the greatest threat to my security; possibly my life."

"Right."

There was a long moment of silence before Misa spoke again. "Okay. I know how we can fix this." She looked up. "Consider this a joint operation."


	70. The Amnesiac Ambush

When Sakura's eyes opened again, she shot straight up. She looked around frantically. _What… I don't…_ She held up her hand in front of her and looked down at it. It was still green. "What…?"

"Hrrarhg…" the girl next to her grumbled as she sat up and looked over at her.

She turned, shocked, to the zombie next to her. Her breathing picked up for a moment, but soon slowed back down as she processed the situation. She laid back down and stared up above her. With the limited light coming from the night sky above, she could tell she was under a footbridge. She sighed. _I'm really dead… that accident… that was real… this is real…_

The girl who had accompanied her looked over her. She cocked her head. "Hraaugh?"

She stared up at her. "Who are you?" she asked. "Why am I like this? Did you do this?"

"Grauuhgah…" she grumbled.

She sat up angrily. "Say something! If I can talk, so can you!"

"Harrhhahh…"

"Will you PLEASE say something I can understand?!"

She stared at her in silence.

She laid back down and stared up at the bottom of the bridge sadly. _Right when I thought life was finally looking up for me… I died, and now I'm a freaking zombie. How little luck can one person have?_ She held her hand above her head and studied her new complexion. _Why would I ever get my hopes up? It always turns out like this somehow…_ She held her stump above her head and touched her new bullet wound with her hand. _This is the worst it's ever been… how could things possibly get any worse?_ Her arms went limp and she sighed. She closed her eyes. _What am I supposed to do now?_

The zombie poked her again.

Her eyes shot open and she grabbed her hand. "Will you STOP THAT?!" she shouted. "What is your problem?!"

"Hraagh…"

She sighed and closed her eyes again. "Just leave me alone…" she mumbled.

She paused for a moment then poked her in the face again.

She shot up. "I said leave me alone!" She climbed to her feet and stormed off, leaving the safety of the bridge. She climbed up into the parking lot next to her and walked towards the road. There were no cars in sight. She peeked over her shoulder to see the zombie shuffling after her. She groaned and turned to face her. "Why are you following me?!"

She cocked her head again. "Hrraeeugh…"

She threw her hands up in defeat. "Fine, follow me! I don't care!" She turned and started marching again. "But you better learn to talk!" She had so many questions she wanted to ask, but the zombie couldn't answer any of them. _How am I a zombie? How long have I been dead? Why am I dressed like this? What happened to my arm? Who is she?_ She looked down. _I need someone who can talk to tell me what's going on…_

The two of them walked out the parking lot and started going west. After about half a kilometer, they spotted a small park across the street.

Sakura sighed and walked into the park. She sat down on one of the park's swings and started swinging slowly.

"Graaerhg…" the zombie girl followed her and sat on the ground next to her.

"It's not fair…" she muttered. "Everytime I think I've got my life together… that things are gonna be better… it all falls apart."

"Hraah…"

She looked down. "Why am I even talking to you? What's the point?" she asked quietly. She stared down at her feet silently. _There IS no point._

The sound of a motorcycle nearby interrupted her moping.

She looked up to see a pair of headlights pull up in front of the park and stop briefly, then speed past. She looked back down. _Who even cares?_

* * *

"She's at Kitajonaijido Park!" Misa yelled. She held her phone back up to her ear. "Alright. Sit tight. We'll be there soon." She held the phone away from her ear and tapped to end the call. She turned to the ten Korosuke girls behind her. "Alright! Remember your positions!" She turned to the zombies on either side of her. "Are you ready?"

Saki nodded. "Let's end this."

* * *

There was the distant sound of motorcycles revving their engines and honking.

 _I just can't care anymore._

The roar of motorcycle engines and the chorus of horns started getting louder and louder.

 _Why should I even try?_

The motorcycles' sound became deafening.

"Huh?" She looked up and tried to cover her ears with her hands, but found that she could only do so on one side. She looked around, confused. "What's that sound?!" she yelled.

Suddenly, a stream of headlights poured into the park. She and the zombie next to her were quickly surrounded by bikes.

She blinked a bit to let her eyes adjust to the light of the headlights. When she finally could see, she noticed that behind each bike stood a girl in the same uniform as she and the zombie. She gasped and stood up. "What's going on?!"

"Sit back down!" A figure beyond the circle pointed something bulky at her with one hand.

"Eep!" she slammed back down into the swing. "What's happening?! Who are you?! Why do we have the same clothes as you?!"

"Shut up!" another voice yelled. A girl walked through the circle menacingly. Her hair was blonde with orange and green streaks in it. Her eyes glowed red.

She gasped. "A-another zombie!" She stood up again. "What's going on?! Why am I a zo-"

"Sit the hell back down!" she screamed. "We're not gonna wait for you to show back up and hurt someone else! We're gonna take care of you, right here, right now!"

Three more zombies stepped forward into the light of the bikes' headlights. One was heavily bandaged and had black hair with red highlights, one was a child and had blue hair with green highlights, and one had many stitches and had white hair with navy blue highlights. The bandaged girl held a nail gun aimed straight at her forehead. "Don't move," she warned.


	71. The Split

"Well, Sakura. I see you're back on your feet," Saki said with a scowl. She glanced down at her chest. There was a small bullet hole. She smirked. "Nice bullet wound," she said mockingly.

Sakura was frozen in fear before her. "W-what's going on?! Who are you?!"

She squinted in confusion. "Who are we? We're Dorami, dumbass!" _The hell do you mean, 'who are you'?  
_

"Grreaahhhrggh…" Tae grumbled as she rose to her feet and stepped between her and Sakura.

 _Crap, she's about to attack!_ She gritted her teeth. "Shrimpy! Marshmallow! Step back!" _Come on, Bandages! This is your part!_

"Tell her to stand down!" Ai yelled, raising her left hand up to the nail gun's tip and taking aim.

"H-huh? Me?" Sakura asked. "How do I do that?"

"HRRRAGGHAHRHAGH!" Tae screeched as she launched into the air and bared her teeth.

"Whoa!" she exclaimed. Thinking quickly, she reached up and grabbed her leg, dragging her back down to the ground. "What on Earth are you doing?! She's got a nail gun pointed right at us!"

"Herrafffth!" she yelled as she got a facefull of wood chips.

"Why is she trying to attack you?!" she asked, shocked.

 _Why wouldn't she be?_

"Who are you?! Who is she?! What's going on?!" Her head swerved around frantically and made a loud chorus of snapping and popping noises.

Saki squinted and glanced towards Ai, who seemed just as perplexed. She turned back to her. "The hell are you talking about?"

"Who are you?! Why am I a zombie?! How do you know my name?!" She clenched her teeth. "Please! Someone please tell me what's going on!"

A low murmur arose among the Korosuke girls.

 _The hell is she talking about?_ She cocked her head to the side slowly. "You don't know who we are?"

"N-no! That's what I've been asking!" She clenched her fist. "I just want some answers!"

 _The hell? Does she not remember anything?_ "What, did that truck make you lose your damn marbles or something?"

She perked up. "You know how I died?"

"What the hell are you talking about?" she asked. "I'm talking about last night!"

"Hold on a second," Ai said, slowly lowering her nail gun. "Sakura. What happened after you died?"

"U-um, well, I woke up on the floor of the forest to the east this morning, and this girl was there. She really scared me, so I ran out of the forest and-"

"You don't remember anything else? Nothing in between your death and the forest?"

"Um, no… why?"

Saki's face twisted into a confused mess. _Did she… lose her memory?_

Junko slowly walked back into the circle. "Sakura… you don't remember any of what you did?"

"What do you mean?" she asked. "What did I do?"

"You did a lot of terrible things," Ai said. "You hurt people."

She stared at her solemnly. "Really?"

She nodded. "Really."

Saki clenched her eyes shut and shook her head. "Wait, wait, wait! Just what the hell is going on?!"

Ai walked up behind her and put her hand on her shoulder. "I think getting hit by that truck last night erased her memory."

"Huh? I got hit by a truck last night? Again?" she asked.

"Saki threw you into it."

She glanced around at the zombies before her. "Who's Saki?"

"You lost your memory?" Saki asked skeptically.

"Well… I remember everything from when I was alive, but I don't remember hurting anyone as a zombie…"

She leaned forward and stared into her eyes. "Then what middle school did you go to?"

"Karatsu Shiritsu Daigo. Why?"

She squinted in suspicion. _What the hell?_

"What if she's lying?!" Lily yelled from behind her.

She gasped. _She could be lying!_ She stepped back defensively. _This is just what she wants us to think!_ "That's right! What if you are lying?!"

"T-that's right! How do we know you're not trying to lure us into another trap?!" Ai asked, lifting her gun back up.

Sakura put her hands up in front of her defensively and stepped back. "I-I'm not! I really don't remember any of that! I really went to Shiritsu Daigo!"

"I'm not gonna fall for that!" Saki yelled. "Now!" She quickly bent down and started holding Tae to the ground.

A swarm of Korosuke girls quickly started closing in on Sakura from behind.

"H-huh?! What's going on?!" She turned and looked around frantically. "P-please! I mean it! I don't know what's happening!"

"Wait!" Junko protested. She stepped between Sakura and the girls approaching her, spreading out her arms. "I think she's telling the truth!"

"What the hell are you doing, Marshmallow?!" Saki yelled.

She turned. "I believe her! I think we should give her another chance!"

"But what if she's lying?!" Ai protested.

"What if she's not?!" Junko rebutted. "Tae isn't attacking us anymore! I think that if she wants to talk, we can just talk!" She gritted her teeth and stared at her the same way she had stared at her back in the mansion.

Saki glanced between Junko and Sakura angrily. _I swear to god… the things I do for these girls…_ She sighed. "Fine! But back AWAY from her!"

She sighed in relief and slowly backed up.

She scowled. "Alright, Sakura. You better convince me, or I'll have you torn apart limb from limb and thrown into the ocean."

Sakura gasped and took a step back. "W-what?! W-who are you?"

"Saki Nikaido. Kamikaze Squad leader of Dorami."

"Junko Konno. I used to be an idol around thirty-five years ago."

"Lily Hoshikawa… I'm in the Kamikaze Squad."

"Ai Mizuno. I used to be an idol, too, around ten years ago. I'm also in the Kamikaze Squad."

Sakura perked up. "W-wait, did you say Ai Mizuno? Like, Ai Mizuno from Iron Frill?!"

She raised an eyebrow. "Yes… you know me?"

"You're actually her?!" She beamed and walked towards her. "Seriously?! I LOVE Iron Frill! I went to one of your concerts when I was younger! It's such a huge honor to meet you!" she bowed.

Ai stared at her, dumbfounded. "Y-you're a fan?"

She nodded. "I love you so much! I listened to Fantastic Lovers the morning I died!" She started bouncing up and down happily to an imaginary beat. "Just fall in love! Ah ah! Just fall in love! Jus-" she paused. "Wait, you're a zombie… YOU DIED?!"

"You don't know how I died?" she asked, a slight smile spreading across her face.

"N-no! What happened?!"

She pulled her into a hug immediately. "I'm never gonna tell you how." Tears started forming at the corners of her eyes.

She was confused, but soon accepted the hug. "Um, okay… Mizuno-san… if you don't want to…"

Saki stared at the two of them silently. _What the hell? She convinced her by singing and dancing?_

Sakura pulled out of the hug. "B-but, seriously, you're my hero, Mizuno-san! You're what made me want to become an idol in the first place!" She looked down. "But the morning I was going to go audition… I got hit by a truck and died… and now I'm a freaking zombie."

"I'm so sorry," Junko said. She walked up behind her and softly put her hand on her shoulder.

"So, wait!" Saki yelled, stepping back defensively. "You still want to be an idol?!"

Sakura looked at her for a second, smiling, but then she looked back down. "I couldn't. I'd love to be one, but I don't have what it takes. And now, I'm a zombie…" She shook her head. "There's no way it could ever work."

Junko and Ai pulled her into another hug together. "We know the feeling," Junko whispered.

Lily walked up behind Saki and grabbed her side. "Saki-chan, do you believe her?"

"I-I don't know," she replied quietly. "I'm so confused."

"Hrraergh…" Tae groaned.

"Dorami!" a Korosuke member whispered loudly. "Misa, remember?!"

"O-oh, right!" Saki yelled. She walked forward and broke up the hug. "U-uh, Sakura…" She paused for a second. _What the hell am I supposed to say?! We didn't plan for this!_ "Uh, actually… you two… group huddle."

Ai, Junko, Lily, and Saki quickly got into a circle.

"Do you two actually believe her?" she asked.

"I can tell," Junko said, "she's telling the truth."

"The story actually adds up," Ai noted. "She doesn't know how I died, either." She let out a teary-eyed smile. "Someone actually remembers me for how I lived, not how I died…"

"But what if she's doing that on purpose?" Lily protested. "Remember what she did?"

"She's not lying," Junko said. "I'm sure of it."

"Even if she's not lying," Saki rebutted, "she still did all that shit! Are we just gonna give her a pass?!"

"Yes!" Ai replied loudly. "She's clearly had some kind of brain trauma! She wasn't thinking straight!"

"What's Misa gonna say? She expects us to tear her apart and toss her into the ocean!"

"So?! We were only doing this because we thought she could tell Koutarou about that, but now…" She turned around. "Hey, Sakura. Do you know anyone named Misa?"

"Misa? U-um, no…" She lowered her head. "I'm sorry…"

She turned back into the circle. "She doesn't even know who she is!"

"But what if she's lying?!" Lily rebutted.

"What if she's not?!" Junko replied angrily. "You expect us to do that when we aren't even sure she knows what we're doing it for?!"

Saki looked up. "But we can't just-"

"What on Earth are you all doing?!" Misa's voice cut their conversation short. She walked towards them angrily. "Why is this taking so long?!"

"Another zombie?" Sakura asked quietly.

"Misa-san!" Junko yelled, standing up and walking out of the huddle. "She doesn't remember anything!"

She raised an eyebrow. "She doesn't remember anything?" She turned to Sakura. "You don't remember me?"

She looked down. "I'm sorry…"

"She doesn't even know you!" Ai pointed out. "She's not a threat to you at all. We can just forget about all this."

She paused for a moment then shook her head. "No. We still have to get rid of her."

"What?!"

"She's seen me now. We're doing this so that she could never know I was a zombie. Now that she knows, she's a threat to me."

"But you're the one who let her know!" Junko protested. "She didn't know a second ago!"

"You can't get rid of her because of something YOU just did!" Ai shouted.

Sakura took a step back. "W-wait, really! I don't know who you are!"

"That doesn't matter! You knowing what I look like is reason enough!" She held up her fingers and snapped.

The circle of Korosuke girls started closing in on her once again.

"Eep!" Sakura clenched her eyes shut and held her arm close to her body.

Ai grabbed her by the hand and ran out the circle. "Come on!"

"Huh? Mizuno-san?! What's going on?!" she wailed as she was dragged towards the bikes.

"You can ask questions later!" Junko replied, running alongside them. "Right now, we've got to get out of here!"

"What the- Bandages! Marshmallow! What the hell are you doing?!" Saki yelled.

"Sit down and hold on!" Ai yelled at the girl as she started her bike. The second she felt Sakura's arm wrap around her waist, she took off with Junko not far behind her.

Misa turned around angrily. "Well, what are you waiting for?! After them!" She ran back to her own bike, which was parked around the corner.

The circle quickly dissipated as the swarm of Korosuke girls flowed out of the park and onto the road, leaving Saki, Lily, and Tae alone.

 _What the hell just happened?_

"GRAAGEGRHAGH!" Tae screeched, climbing off the ground and running on all fours after the bikes speeding into the darkness.

Lily watched the girl disappear from sight and turned to her. "Saki-chan, what are we gonna do?"

She stared at the brake lights fading into darkness. _I… don't know._


	72. The Pessimist

Sakura screamed at the top of her lungs as she sped through the Karatsu streets on the back of Ai Mizuno's bike. _What on Earth is happening?!_ she shouted inside her head. She felt strands of red and black hair fly into her mouth between breaths, but was too panicked to do anything about it.

"Sakura! What's it look like behind us?!" Ai yelled over her shoulder.

"H-huh?" She stopped screaming, turned her head, and peeked around the bike's seat. There was a horde of headlights right behind them. "It looks bad!"

"Here!" She reached into her pocket and produced a nail gun. She handed it over her shoulder. "Shoot out their tires!"

"Huh?" she asked as she took it into her hand. _She wants me to do WHAT?!_

"One hand on the trigger! Then pull the tip to fire!"

"I-I only have one hand, Mizuno-san!" she protested. _I don't want to fire at them anyway!_

She gasped. "Oh! Right!" She held her left hand over her shoulder. "Here! Give it back!"

She handed the nail gun back to her and looked back at the girls chasing her. One pair of glowing red eyes stood out from the darkness. _Misa…?! Who is she?! Why is she chasing us?!_

"Here! Take my arm!" She held the gun over her shoulder, with her finger now holding down the trigger.

"W-what?!" She turned around and stared at her raised hand. _Take her arm?!_

"Just do it! Pull it off!"

She reached up and pulled on her wrist. The arm popped off and her sleeve started flapping in the wind. "Oh my god!"

She lowered her new stump and concentrated on driving with one hand. "Put that under your stump and fire with your other hand!"

"R-right!" She held Ai's arm in her armpit and grabbed the tip with her left hand. _Am I really about to do this?! This is crazy!_ "P-pull the tip to fire, right?!"

"Right!"

She took aim, terrified, and pulled back on the tip. A nail went flying out and blew through the tire of a Korosuke bike. She watched as the tire slowly flattened and the bike slowed to a crawl. Her face lit up. "W-wow! I got one!"

"Good! Now get the others!"

She took aim and carefully fired again and again, each time hitting a different tire. Before long, only a handful were left. She grinned. _Amazing!_ She looked back down, now with boosted confidence, and shot out the rest of the tires in seconds. "M-Mizuno-san! I got them all!"

"Alright! Hold onto my arm!" She glanced over to ensure that Junko was still next to her, then twisted back the throttle to pick up speed. "If we see any more of them, you have to shoot them out!"

"R-right!" She turned back forward and sat back in the bike's seat, focusing on maintaining her balance. She gripped the nail gun tightly. _A-am I really sitting right behind Ai Mizuno?! This is amazing!_ She stared at the idol's hair flowing in the wind and smiled. _This can't be real!_ "Mizuno-san! This is great!"

"I'm glad! Now hold on! We're going up!" She twisted the throttle back and sped up.

* * *

Ai stopped the bike and turned it off. "We're here." She stepped off and stood up. "Can I have my arm back?"

"O-oh, yes!" Sakura held the nail gun out with the arm still attached. She looked around. "Is this… Kagiyama Shrine?"

"You've been here before?" she asked while snapping her arm back into place.

"Y-yeah… my family and I used to come here once a summer…" She looked down. "I guess that's not really going to happen anymore."

Junko pulled up next to them and turned off her bike.

She looked back up. "Mizuno-san, what happened to me? What did I do?"

She stared down at her for a moment, then walked over to the railing and sat down. She was quickly joined by Junko. She turned and motioned for her to sit beside them.

Sakura stood up and walked over. She sat down between the two girls and silently glanced between them.

"Sakura…" Ai started, "what day did you die?"

"What day…? Um… it was Monday, so… April 7th?"

"2008?"

"Yes…?"

Junko sighed. "Sakura, it's been ten years since then."

She turned, shocked. "Ten years?!" She paused and looked down. _Just my luck…_

Ai's phone started ringing. "Oh, sorry." She picked it up and looked at it. "It's Lily." She glanced at Junko, who shook her head. She silenced the phone and put it back in her pocket. "Now, Sakura. I'm going to tell you everything that's happened, but I need you to stay calm. Some of it is pretty shocking."

* * *

"And then we rode to the park where you were," Ai concluded. "And that's where it ends. You know the rest."

Sakura stared out at the lights of Karatsu silently.

"Sakura? Are you okay?" Junko asked.

She slowly turned and looked at her. "I really did all that?" she asked softly.

"Yes," she replied, looking down. "We even have a video of the bridge fight."

She turned back towards Karatsu. "No wonder everyone hates me."

"Yeah," Ai whispered.

She sighed and looked down. "You should have let them throw me into the ocean."

"What?!" she replied. "Don't say that!"

"Why not? It's true. They were right to try and get rid of me before I screwed up something else."

"But then you wouldn't have known what they were so mad at you for," Junko rebutted.

She shook her head. "I really wish I didn't know."

"But now that you do know, you can make amends," Ai suggested.

"Make amends? For something I don't even remember? Yeah, right. They'd never believe me, anyway." She hung her head and sighed. "I should have never come back."

"So, what, are you just not gonna try?"

"What's the point? It'd just turn out like everything else," she replied. "Another bad memory." She leaned forward and rested her forehead on the railing.

"Sakura…" Junko whispered.

"I get that I was stupid enough to try. I always am. But to keep going even when it didn't work… at the expense of other people…" She closed her eyes.

"Maybe if you apologized, you'd feel better," she suggested.

"I don't remember doing any of that, though… What's the good apologizing for something I can't even remember? Besides, none of them believe that I can't remember it."

"But maybe if you did, then-"

"It's seriously not gonna happen!" she exploded. "Even if I did apologize… even if that did fix the mess I made… what good would it do?! I'm still a zombie! Everything I had when I was alive is still gone! For my whole life, I tried, and tried, and tried, and it never got me anything! And now…" She held up her hand and stared at it. "Trying literally killed me," she choked. "Why on Earth would I ever try again?"

"Sakura…" Ai started. She put her hand on her shoulder. "I don't think mistakes or failures are a bad thing."

She slowly turned to face her. _Is she…?_

"Because they always end up helping with whatever happens next. I think you'll only be the best version of you once you overcome it all. Even if you don't believe you should try, you have to in order for things to get any better."

She stared at her for a moment silently. _Yup. She said it._

"Sakura," Junko added, "I think that, even if you don't think it's worth it, you should apologize. Things can't possibly get any worse for you, can they?"

She looked at her. "What's the point in trying? They hate me."

"I just told you the point in trying!" Ai refuted.

She looked back down. "There's no point in arguing. I have nothing else to say."

The two stared at her silently.

"Just leave me alone. It'd be better if you just forgot about me." She leaned forward and rested her head on the railing again. "Thank you for answering my questions."

They both sat for another minute before they stood up and slowly walked back to their bikes. Each gave her one final long, sad look before they turned on their engines and sped back down the mountain.


	73. The Contrast

Saki sat on the swing Sakura had been on moments before with her head in her hands. _Was she actually telling the truth? She definitely didn't seem as dangerous or even as smart as she was last night…_ She let out a sigh and looked up at the starry night sky. After a moment of staring, her eyes bulged open. _Crap, what if Korosuke ahold of them?! Crapcrapcrapcrapcrap! We should have gone after them!_ Her hands flew to the sides of her head and she let out a moan of distress.

Lily was seated on the swing next to her, staring silently at the ground. "I'm worried about them, Saki-chan."

She looked down at her and released her hands from her head. "Me, too, kid." She grabbed a chain on either side of the swing and kicked back to swing forward. "You think Sakura was telling the truth?"

"I dunno… I'd like her to be, but I'm also worried about what she might do if we let our guard down around her. And even if she did lose her memories, she still did a lot of bad stuff to us. I can't believe Ai-chan and Junko-chan would do something like that."

She looked down at the ground and sulked. "They haven't done anything like that since we were first getting on our feet after jumping out of the van." She paused for a couple seconds then shrugged. "But, y'know, I have to trust that they know what they're doing. They're not stupid or anything."

The two sat in silence for a long minute or two, each staring at the ground. They only looked up when two bikes pulled into the park in front of them. They stood up in perfect unison and sprinted toward them. "Ai! Junko!" "Ai-chan! Junko-chan!"

Ai and Junko turned off their bikes. They each looked rather somber.

"What the hell were you thinking, running off like that, damn it! You had us so worried!" Saki stopped next to the two and crossed her arms. "Where the hell is Sakura?"

"She's still on the mountain," Ai said. "She asked to be alone."

"You let her go?!" Lily yelled in shock. Her heart beat out of her chest rapidly.

"She really doesn't remember anything!" she replied. "She felt terrible about what she did and asked to be alone."

"But what if she comes back?!"

She shook her head. "She probably won't. She asked us to forget about her."

"You really think she lost her memory?" Saki squinted.

She nodded. "I do. Both of us do. We had to tell her everything that had happened, and her reactions to each thing seemed genuine."

She raised an eyebrow. "How much did you tell her?"

"Everything except how we all died and where we lived. But I don't think she'll go back to him or anything. She actually seemed to feel really bad about everything she had done."

Lily stared up at her, her heart gradually slowing back down. "You really think so, Ai-chan?"

She nodded. "Yeah. We shouldn't have to worry about her anymore. At least not as someone who can hurt-"

"NIKAIDO!"

Saki looked up to see a pair of glowing red eyes walking a bike angrily toward them. "What, Misa?! Can't you see we're in the middle of something here?!"

She dropped the bike at the entrance of the park and marched toward her. "You'd better learn how to control your subordinates, Nikaido!"

"Huh? Subordinates?"

She pointed at Ai and Junko. "Those two!"

"Oh." She looked at her, confused. "Subordinates? They're not really my subordinates."

She waved her hand in frustration. "Whatever you wish to call them! They botched the entire plan, and then they shot out eleven of our bikes' tires!"

Saki glanced over to the two girls and let out a smile of approval. Then she glared back at Misa. "What's the problem with that? You're cool with us stealing them."

She shook her head. "No, I'm not! I gave you a pass that time because I admired you! But now? There's no excuse for this kind of misconduct!"

She shrugged. "Well, if you didn't want them popped, you should've had nail-proof tires. What kind of bikers don't have nail-proof tires?"

She scowled. "There's no such thing."

"Oh, yeah? How do you know? You some kinda expert or something?"

She gritted her teeth together. "Did you forget that they also helped Sakura escape?!"

"So? She lost her memory. She's not a threat."

She stared at her angrily. "You've got a lot of nerve, Nikaido. Consider our truce over."

A smug smile spread across her face. "Was it not already over?"

"Tsk!" She turned to the two idols. "Where is she?!"

"Wouldn't you like to know," Ai replied smugly.

"Tsk!" she turned and walked back to her bike. "You'll pay for this, Nikaido! We'll settle this! And soon!" She picked it up and started rolling it down the road back to her apartment.

She turned back to Ai with a huge grin on her face. "You shot out their tires?!" she asked excitedly.

She shrugged. "Well, actually, Sakura did. It wasn't that big a deal."

"No, that's awesome!" she said with a huge smile on her face. She put her hands on her shoulders. "You got some serious guts, Bandages!" Her face shifted as she processed the first part of what she had said. _Wait, Sakura did? For real?  
_

"Junko-chan," Lily asked, "are you okay?"

Saki turned her head to see Junko staring off into space. "Junko?"

She shot up. "Huh?" She looked over at her. "Oh, what is it?"

"You okay?" she asked. "You haven't said anything since you got back."

She looked down. "I can't stop thinking about Sakura. I just can't help but feel we should be doing more to help her," she mumbled. "It's tragic what's happened to her. I can't imagine the pain she's going through."

Ai put her hand on her shoulder. "Hey, she told us to leave her alone, remember? There's nothing more we can do."

She sighed. "I know. But it still hurts to know that she feels that way." She closed her eyes. "I suppose I just have to have faith that she'll be okay on her own."

 _They want to… help her?_ Saki squinted at their conversation. "She really had an effect on you guys, didn't she?"

Lily sighed. "I don't get it…"

"You and me both," she shrugged.

She stared at them silently, her heart now stagnant.

Ai turned back to them. "Alright, now. It's only 9 PM. Let's go home and watch episode three."

"Does Obi-Wan die in this one?" Junko asked.

"Wh- no! How many times do I have to tell you?!"

She laughed. "I'm kidding. I know. He doesn't die until episode four." She climbed back onto her bike.

Ai sat down on her own and sighed. "It really didn't sound like you were kidding, you know."

Saki took a seat. "Whatever. We all ready to go?" She looked around to find Lily still standing where she was, staring off into space. "Shrimpy?"

She looked back at her. "Oh, yeah!" She climbed onto her bike slowly. "Let's go."

She lowered her eyebrows at the child's half-hearted actions. _Wonder what's on her mind…_ She shrugged and turned on her engine. _Whatever. Let's go home so we can shower._

* * *

Sakura stared down into the foliage below silently. She had barely moved since the two idols had left. She had stopped breathing by this point. She felt the cool, tranquil spring air on her skin and closed her eyes. _What a mess I had to wake up to…_

A fly landed on her cheek.

 _Ugh._ She waved her hand in front of it and felt its grubby paws get off of her.

Then it landed on her eyelid.

"Get off of me," she whispered, waving her hand over her eyes. She opened them and stared up at the small black dot flying before her eyes. _Stupid bug._

Another fly landed on her cheek.

"Mmph!" she mumbled angrily. She flicked her arm around next to it and felt it leave. _Leave me alone, you stupid bugs…_

One more landed on her ear. Another landed on her arm. The first fly landed on her nose.

"Gyaaah!" she screamed, frantically swinging around her arm to get them off of her. _I'm getting swarmed!_ She climbed to her feet, still flapping her arm all over her face, and started running away from where she was seated prior. She ran to the opposite side of the parking lot and paused for a moment to ensure that no flies were around to torment her. Once she was sure, she sighed and sat back down. She stared out at the lights of Karatsu. _Ten years… and yet everything still looks the same._ She looked down. _But, with a closer look, everything's different…_

She felt another bug land on her cheek.

"Ugh!" This time, she swatted it. She felt the bug's insides spread onto her cheek and hand. She held her hand out in front of her and frowned. _Well, Junko, things got worse. Now I'm being attacked by bugs._ She rubbed her hand on her pants and looked back up sadly. _This is awful…_ She brought her hand to her hair and felt its many tangles and knots. Even her signature bow was missing. _I really don't have anything…_

Another fly landed on her nose.

She sighed.

* * *

Junko opened the door and stepped inside. "Takeo-san, we're home!"

Saki sighed and sat down. She started taking off her boots slowly. _Damn, today was a mess. I could seriously use a drink right now…_

"Girls! Welcome home!" Takeo said as he rounded the corner. "Junko, a package came for you."

She smiled sweetly and sat down to remove her boots. "Thank you."

"Oh, I bet that's your butterfly knife," Ai said as she shut the door behind her and sat down in the genkan. "Lily, when are the business cards supposed to arrive?"

"The website said they'd be a week," Lily reminded her. "So two or three more days." She sat down in the genkan and started removing her boots.

Saki sighed. _I can't believe we're getting business cards… so stupid._

"Do you all want dinner?" he asked. "I can get some rice going if you'd like."

"That would be lovely," Junko replied. "Thank you."

He nodded and disappeared back around the corner.

"Alright, so after dinner, we'll all shower, then start the movie. How's 10:30?"

"Well, isn't it 9:30 now?" Junko asked. "I think that's not enough time."

"Alright, so how's 11?"

She nodded and gracefully slipped out of her boots. "That's better." She stepped up and walked down the hallway.

Saki threw off her boots and stretched. "Damn, it's good to be home…" She climbed to her feet and followed Junko and Takeo down the hallway with her arms behind her head. She walked into the kitchen. "Let's get some grub going!"

* * *

Sakura heard her stomach grumble and put her hand over it. She felt the pain of intense hunger and sighed. _When was the last time I ate something?_ She let her hand fall to her side. _Who cares… it's not like I need to, anyway…_ She looked back out at the lights of Karatsu.

"I don't think mistakes or failures are a bad thing. Because they always end up helping with whatever happens next. And I really believe I'll only be the best version of me once I've overcome it all."

Ai's words bounced around in her mind. _One more time… I'll try one more time!_ One of her final thoughts reemerged and she sighed. _Look where trying one more time got me… I've got to have the worst luck in the world._ She took a deep breath and closed her eyes. _Easy for you to say, Mizuno-san… you've never failed as badly as I have. You were already successful by age sixteen, and I'm… I was seventeen, and I still hadn't done anything with my life._ She shook her head. _I never did._

Another fly landed on her neck.

"Seriously?!" she yelled, smacking it immediately. Her stomach grumbled again. She clenched her belly and bent down in pain. "Ohhh…" she groaned. _It hurts… I thought zombies didn't need to eat… How does this body even work…?_

* * *

The four zombies sat around the dining table. Luckily, Takeo had thought to buy new chairs, since he only had two before.

Saki swallowed the rice in her mouth. "So, guys, me and Ai were thinking about going to see that Harue girl tomorrow."

"Hm? Isn't she the one who wanted to study us?" Junko asked. "I thought you didn't want to."

"Yeah, but then we saw how she handled the whole Misa situation," Ai replied as she put the rest of her rice into her mouth. "I think she might actually be able to tell us something. Maybe help us heal these burns beneath our bandages and make us look more normal."

She perked up. "You really think she can do that?"

She shrugged. "I don't know, but it's worth a shot." A piece of rice fell out of her mouth and went down her sleeve. "Oh, whoops." She awkwardly lifted up her arm and tilted it downwards to get the rice out.

"Do you think she could do something about me?" she asked, gesturing to the large stitches running through her skin and the huge color differences between pieces of her body.

Saki shrugged. "Who knows? We don't even know if she can do anything, let alone heal us. That's why we wanted to go tomorrow and find out."

"I suppose I should go too, then…" she said quietly. "I'm very insecure about my stitches."

"Oh, really?" she asked as she stuffed more rice into her mouth.

"I'm afraid my face will fall apart…"

She chewed slowly for a moment, slowly picturing that disgusting image. "Yeah, I can see how that'd be scary." She turned to Lily. "How about you, Shrimpy?"

The child stared down at the plate of rice before her silently.

"Lily-chan?" Junko asked. "Is everything alright?" She put her hand on her shoulder.

Lily jumped to attention. "Huh? What?"

"Is there something on your mind?"

She looked back down. "It's nothing…"

She shook her head. "If there's something you wish to say, you can tell us."

She paused for a long moment then looked back up. "How can you all trust Sakura so easily?"

"Huh?" Ai asked.

"After all that stuff she did… you guys all seriously just believed her right away!" She looked between the girls rapidly. "What if she's tricking us? She's not afraid to do it! She tricked Shades in order to meet with Okoba!"

"That's a very legitimate concern," Junko said. "You're right to be so cautious."

"Then why aren't you?" she asked.

Ai paused. "I'm not sure. I guess I just really want what she's saying to be true… What she said to me back at the playground…" She smiled slightly. "It made me really happy. I guess it just made me want to hear her out."

"I'm being cautious," Junko rebutted, "but I'm also giving her the benefit of the doubt. She's shown no signs of wanting to hurt us, so I don't see much of a reason to be so afraid of her." She wrapped her arm around her. "Don't worry. If she starts to show signs that say she wants us to be idols, we'll get out of there."

Lily glanced up at her.

"Does that make you feel better?"

She let out a small smile. "Yeah."

Ai stood up and carried her now empty plate to the sink. "Alright, well, I'm gonna go take a shower. I should be done in about an hour."

 _Crap, I gotta shower, too!_ She started wolfing down her food.

"Jeez, Saki, it's not a race," she said smugly. "We have two."

She turned around with her cheeks full of rice. "You wanna die?"

* * *

Sakura sighed. Nearly an hour had passed since the two idols left her there, and she had been swatting each bug that had thought to come take a taste of her rotting flesh. Her face, neck, hand, and torso were now all completely covered with guts and blood. Her hair was matted and knotted, her mouth tasted like bile, and her feet were bogged down with sweat within her boots. She felt absolutely disgusting, but she hardly cared. _What do I care if I'm dirty? It's not like it matters, anyway._

The sound of an engine mixed with a horn faded in from nothing.

She rotated her head slightly at the sound. _Is that Korosuke? Here to throw me into the ocean?_

The bike stopped in the parking lot behind her. Its engine turned off.

 _Wait, there's only one…_

"Sakura! Is that you?" a girl asked behind her.

"If you're here to finally get rid of me, just get it over with," she sighed.

"Oh, thank god." She walked up behind her and put her hand on her shoulder. "Sakura, it's me. Kozue. I'm the one who taught you how to drive."


	74. The Revelation

"You're lucky I'm the one who found you," the girl sighed. "Misa sent everyone else out to go look for you. If anyone else had found you, they'd probably toss you into the ocean."

"Doesn't that make me unlucky, then…?" she replied.

"Huh? The hell are you talking about?" she squinted.

"If you aren't here to get rid of me, then just leave." She turned her head back forward.

She leaned down and put her hand on her shoulder. "Listen, I know you lost your memory or whatever, but what the hell is this?"

She turned around angrily. "Can't you tell?! I'm a zombie and I spent three weeks making people miserable! I'm depressed, you idiot!" She turned back to the city lights and exhaled angrily.

She raised her eyebrows in surprise and sat down next to her. "Jeez, you're totally different without your memories."

"That's a good thing."

She put on a doubtful face. "Is it really, though?"

She sighed. "At least now I'm smart enough not to do something like that." She looked the girl next to her up and down.

She was dressed in a regular Korosuke outfit aside from the mask, which was lowered to wrap around her chin rather than her mouth. She had orange neck-length hair that split down the middle and hazel eyes that stared deep into her crimson ones.

"You look like a regular Korosuke girl. If you're trying to trick me into giving myself up, you don't have to. I'll go with you. I deserve what you have planned."

Kozue smacked her on the back of the head.

Her hand rushed to her scalp. "Ow! What was that for?!"

"I'm not here to kill you, dumbass! I'm here to see what the hell happened to you!"

She glared at her. "If you're working for Misa, why aren't you following her orders?"

"I'm not gonna throw you into the ocean. You're not a bad person. You were just being an idiot."

She paused for a moment then got angry. "Wait, if you're the one who taught me to drive, then you knew what I was doing! You knew it was wrong! Why didn't you stop me?!"

She shrugged. "I was just following orders."

She rested her head on her fist. "Well, you should have stopped following orders earlier."

"Yeah, I don't feel great about it, either! You think I'm happy with how things turned out?! Now 95 percent of Korosuke wants you dead!"

"I'm already dead," she muttered under her breath.

"Shut up, you fucking moron. You know what I meant. What the hell are you doing here?"

"Why do you care?" she asked coldly. "I thought you had hardly anything to do with me."

She squinted. "You kidding? You and I spent, like, five nights in a row together. How the hell do I have 'hardly anything to do with you'?"

She looked away.

"Listen, Sakura. I know those Dorami chicks are the ones who took you here. I bet they told you everything you did, huh?"

She nodded.

"Yeah, what you did wasn't so great. But you sitting here and fucking crying isn't gonna do shit!"

She looked down.

"You don't wanna get chucked into the ocean, dumbass. I know you. You wanna do something with your damn life. Er, afterlife. Whatever. Whether it's idol shit or not, you wanna do something. Aren't I right?"

"I do, but there's no point in even trying… every time I try something… every time I put work into it… it all falls apart."

"Explain."

She sighed. "Everything I do… everything I work for… it all falls apart. Every play I've ever starred in… every sports event I've ever been a part of… every test determining my future. Everything. Every time. I do my best to make it all work, and it falls apart because of my stupid luck. Doing my best just isn't enough."

She paused for a moment. "In all of those, you did that shit alone, right?"

"Well, not necessarily… in most, I worked with a whole team or a cast of people…"

"No, I mean, you took everything on alone, right? No one else helped you?"

"I suppose so, yeah…" She looked up at her. "What does that have to do with anything?"

Kozue crossed her arms. "Okay, well, there's one obvious problem with your whole issue."

"What?"

"In every one of those, you did that shit alone," she explained. "You ever worked in a group, where you all had each others' backs, and had it fail like that?"

"What does that have to do with anything?" she asked again.

"Have you?"

She paused and brought her hand to her chin. She struggled to think of an example. "I…"

She shrugged smugly. "Whoop, there it is."

She threw her hand down angrily. "N-now, hold on! You still didn't explain what that has to do with anything!"

She gestured nonchalantly. "Isn't it obvious? This whole time, your whole life, you've been trying to do shit on your own. When you do shit on your own, you fall apart. When you've got someone else with you, you actually get somewhere. Why the hell do you think bikers move in squads? The chances of ALL of you failing are way smaller than the chances of just you failing."

She looked down. _Is that… really true?_

"You know that fight where you had Tae there with you? You were winning."

"Huh?" She looked back up at her.

"You each tried to do things on your own, and it didn't work. But once you started working together, you started kicking some serious ass. If you hadn't stopped the fight early, you probably would've won."

She stared blankly at her. _By… working together?_

She frowned. "Say something, dammit! I'm not here to fucking lecture you!"

She just kept her eyes fixated on her. _Wait… that girl from this morning… was Tae… and she…_

She sighed. "Yeah, okay. You're hopeless." She stood up and put her hands in her pockets. "Listen. If you're gonna sit somewhere, do it somewhere else. Seriously. This is one of the worst places you could possibly be hiding. The next Korosuke member who finds you won't be so merciful." She turned around and started walking back to her bike.

"Wait!" Sakura yelled, turning. "Where's Tae?!"

She looked back over her shoulder. "I'm not supposed to tell you." She sat back down and turned on her engine. "Well, I'll see you around, I guess." She twisted back her throttle and sped out of the lot.

 _You're not supposed to tell me?_ She turned back to Karatsu and sighed. _Seems like Junko and Mizuno-san are the only ones who tell me anything…_ She slowly rose to her feet and took another deep breath. _I guess I should leave, then… if I don't wanna get thrown into the ocean._ She rested her hand on the railing. _Do I?_ She stared into the foliage below for a long moment. _No. I don't._ She turned around and walked out of the parking lot. She crossed the street and walked into the woods, where she laid down against a tree. She looked up and stared through the trees into the sky. _But if I don't want to die, what do I want to do?_ She slowly closed her eyes. _What… do… I… want…_


	75. The Well-Deserved Breakfast

"Saki, do you want breakfast?" Junko asked from the doorway.

She took a deep breath and sat up. She stretched and shook out her joints to undo the rigor mortis that had set in overnight. "Yeah, just gimme a sec." She slowly opened her eyes to the sunlight in the room.

"Okay," she replied.

Saki slowly rose to her feet and groaned. "That was a good sleep," she said to herself. She noted that her pajama pants were incredibly comfortable to sleep in compared to the jeans and Dorami pants she had been sleeping in for the last few weeks. Her pajamas consisted of an oversized orange t-shirt and blue, baggy sweatpants. She turned around and saw the digital clock on Lily's nightstand. It was 9:36 AM. _Huh, Shrimpy didn't wake me up this time. Good._ She walked out the door and down the hallway. After descending the stairs and turning the corner, she walked into the kitchen, where Ai stood in her blue striped pajamas with a spatula in hand. "Morning."

She looked up. "Ah, good morning." She looked back down at the griddle before her, where six small pancakes slowly solidified. Next to the griddle there was a stack of completed pancakes.

She eyed the pancakes on the counter. "Ai, you can cook?"

She shrugged. "Pancakes aren't very hard to make. I got the mix from one of the cupboards."

"Oh."

"Good morning, Saki-chan!" Lily yelled. She stood on her seat excitedly with her hands on the table and she wore a pale blue t-shirt and plaid pajama pants. Junko was seated next to her wearing her pink nightgown.

She took a seat across from her. "Morning." She gave her a glare. "Sit your butt down. You know your pops doesn't want you standing on the chairs."

She pouted. "Okay…" She jumped and fell onto the cushion.

"How kind of him to buy these extra chairs so we can all eat together," Junko said.

Saki sighed and leaned forward, resting her elbows on the table. "Yeah."

Ai started sliding pancakes off the griddle. "Alright, guys, there's enough for each of us to have six."

"Six?" Junko asked. "That's a lot…"

"Well, I made them pretty small. Besides, I'm sure whatever you don't eat, Saki will."

"Hell yeah, I will!" she yelled excitedly. She sat up and turned around to see Ai splitting pancakes between four plates.

She walked over and set a plate before each girl. "Oh, hold on." She returned to the counter and unplugged the griddle. She also grabbed a bottle of syrup off the counter and returned to the table. "Here."

Saki eagerly grabbed it out of her hand and started pouring it all over the plate. "Yes!"

"You don't think that's a bit much?" she asked as she sat down.

"I like them to soak it all up," she replied. After a couple seconds of drowning her pancakes, she finally set the bottle down on the table and smiled. "This looks good."

"Gross," Lily commented as she reached for the syrup.

She happily picked up her fork and stuffed an entire pancake into her mouth. "So, what're we gonna watch once we finish all the Star Wars movies? There's still two left."

She gasped. "You guys should watch some of my stuff! I was in a lot of TV shows and movies when I was alive!" She started pouring syrup onto her own pancakes, but didn't take nearly as long as Saki.

"I was in several films as well," Junko added. "I'd love to have you all see me." She smiled as she took the syrup bottle from Lily's hand. "Thank you."

"You're welcome!"

Saki was confused for a second before she remembered. "Jeez, I keep forgetting that you guys were straight-up, like, stars and whatever."

Ai shrugged. "It's not a big deal."

She swallowed the pancake. "I know, but, still. It's weird to think about. I don't think of you guys as idols or actors or whatever."

"It's hard to think of yourself as an idol when you haven't sung anything for anyone in weeks…" Junko concurred, putting the bottle back onto the table. "Or, rather, decades."

Ai rolled her eyes with a smile and took the syrup. "You really love to reference the fact that we're dead."

"Yes, I do," she laughed. She picked up her fork and dug into her pancakes. "I'm always looking for an opportunity to mention it."

"Ooh, you know what we should do next time we have a day off?" Lily asked rhetorically. "We should go to an arcade!"

"An arcade?!" Saki asked excitedly. "I love arcades!"

She nodded. "Yeah! When you guys were showering last night, pappy let me use the computer to look for stuff to do! There's one nearby that looks really cool!"

"I'd like another day off, actually," Ai said. "Maybe we should have days off every Monday or something."

"Yeah!"

Saki brought her hand to her chin. "Weekly days off, huh? Not a bad idea. I never really took that many days off when I was alive, but most of Dorami did it pretty often."

"That sounds good to me," Junko said. "I've never been to an arcade before."

"Oh, you're gonna love it!" Lily cheered. "I've only been there a couple of times, but it was super fun!" She gasped. "You guys would LOVE Dance Dance Revolution!"

"Oh, DDR?" Ai replied. "I've heard of it and seen videos, but I've never played."

"What is it?" Saki asked.

"It's a game where you have to dance in time with the music on screen. It's a bit hard to explain."

"Oh, really?" Junko asked. "So, the game knows how you dance?"

"Yeah, basically."

"Wonderful," she said. "Video games are so advanced these days."

There was a long period of silence as the four ate their pancakes.

"You know," Ai said, "I really like these quiet moments we have together."

"Huh?" Saki asked. "Whaddya mean?"

"I mean, a lot of the time, we're driving around or staking claims or fighting Korosuke, and while that's exciting and everything, I like when we can all just relax and enjoy one another's company."

"I agree," Junko seconded. "Everytime we all eat together, it's very tranquil. It's a nice contrast to the action we see everyday."

Saki shrugged. "Well, yeah. Eating together is, like, the best way to hang with your crew."

"Oh, you were right, Junko-chan…" Lily moaned. She rubbed her stomach and slumped down in her chair. "Six pancakes is a lot…"

"You're full already?" she asked.

"Yeah…"

"You eat so fast, Lily-chan… It's remarkable."

"More for me!" Saki yelled excitedly, reaching across the table.

* * *

Saki walked down the stairs to find Junko already standing in the genkan with her boots on. "Ready to go?"

"I'm just waiting on them," she replied.

She looked back up the stairs. "Alright, guys! Let's go! If you don't hurry up, I'm seriously gonna kill you!"

Lily emerged from her room and bounced down the stairs. Her ponytail flipped around sporadically. "Let's go!" She jumped down the last three stairs and sat down in the genkan.

Ai emerged from her room and walked down the stairs at a normal pace. She wore the backpack on her back.

"What're you wearing that for?" Saki asked. "Whaddya got in there?"

She bit her lip and looked to the side. "Sakura's arm and the tent. I figure she probably wants it back, and a place for her to sleep would be nice."

She stared at her nonchalantly for a second then shrugged. "Alright, then. If you really think she's changed, then I won't stop you."

Her eyes widened. "Seriously? I would have thought you'd be more against it."

"I don't really care anymore." She sat down and started putting on her boots. "If you wanna help her be a better person or whatever, go right ahead. Just don't get yourself turned back into an idol or I'll seriously kill you."

She continued down the stairs and sat down next to the other girls. "Alright, then. I'll probably be carrying this stuff around until see her again, then."

"If we ever see her again at all," Lily reminded her as she stood up.

"Right, but, you know. I'd rather have it just in case we do ever see her again."

Saki rose to her feet. "Alright, whatever. Just hurry up so we can go."

* * *

Maria was once again reclining in her bike's seat with her feet propped up on the dashboard, chilling. She couldn't believe how comfortable the bikes were after Saki had modified them, even though she relaxed like this fairly often. She smiled as she read the text Migikawa had sent her and started typing a message back. She heard the sound of bikes braking and looked up at the four zombies now stopped next to her. "Oh, hey. What's up?"

"Not much," Lily replied. "What's up with you?"

She shrugged. "Not much. Texting Migikawa."

"Oh, how is she?" Junko asked. "We haven't seen her since Saturday."

"She's good," she replied. "Oh, by the way, before I forget. I'm pretty sure Shades is following me around." She pointed across the street at a black van parked in the parking lot of a craft store.

The four zombies turned around and looked at the van. "Oh," Saki said aloud.

"Do you think we should do something?" Ai asked.

"He said he'd only do what Sakura wants, and if what you told me is right, then she's not a threat to us, either," Maria shrugged. She looked back to her phone and kept texting.

"You're awfully relaxed about this situation," Junko noted as she turned back around.

"Meh. That whole idol thing isn't really an issue anymore if Sakura lost her memory like you said she did. The only one who really has to worry about him is Misa, and like hell are we gonna do her any favors."

The van across the street started moving.

"Looks like he's leaving," Ai observed. She turned back to Maria. "So, do you have any specific plan for today?"

"Nah, we're probably just gonna do our regular patrol."

Saki turned around and looked at her boss. "We should start trying to hit high schools and middle schools today. I think that'll make us way more notorious."

"Wait, I don't think he's leaving!" Lily yelled. She latched onto Saki's arm.

"Huh?" She turned to see the black van pull into the parking lot. _Oh, great._


	76. The Exchange of Information

Saki gritted her teeth and stepped forward. _Damn it, Shades… the hell do you want?_

The van stopped several meters away. Though its back windows were tinted black, its front windows were not. Koutarou could be seen in the driver's seat. He turned off the engine and looked at the girls.

"Yup, looks like he wanted to talk to you," Maria observed. She put her phone back in her pocket and crossed her arms.

 _No shit._

Suddenly, the door on the side facing them slid open to reveal a tall woman in long red and white robes. "Hello, everyone." She stepped out of the van and failed to close the door behind her.

"Is that… Yuugiri?" Junko asked.

"It looks like she has makeup on like we did on Monday," Ai replied.

"Yuugiri-san?" Lily asked. Her grip on Saki's arm loosened.

She smiled sweetly. "Hello again, Lily. It's been a while."

"Hi…"

"Cut the crap! What're you here for?" Saki demanded.

She seemed caught off-guard by the aggression. "My, Saki-han. Please don't be alarmed. We aren't here to do anything to you."

Ai gasped as she noticed the blue toy poodle sitting in the van's passenger seat staring back at them. "The dog…"

She turned around. "Oh, you mean Romero? Yes, he's here to help us locate Sakura-han and Tae-han." She turned back to them. "Miss Maria here said you didn't know where they were last night, but we just wanted to make sure before we go search for her."

Saki squinted. "You're seriously not here to do anything to us?"

She shook her head. "That would be rather fruitless, don't you agree? We only wish to find Sakura-han and Tae-han."

The girls all looked between one another. "Could you give us a moment?" Junko asked.

"Of course."

She turned around and pulled everyone into a huddle. "I think we should tell them where she is."

"What?!" Lily replied in shock. "But what if he makes her go back to trying to turn us into idols?!"

"I agree," Ai said. "I don't trust him. He's too shady."

"I wouldn't either," Maria shrugged. "The dude is straight up creepy."

"But… she needs someone to help her!" Junko protested. "She deserves all the help she can get!"

"Seriously?" Maria asked. "Didn't she make your lives a living hell? Didn't she bully Shrimpy into running away from home? Didn't she…" She glanced up at Yuugiri and looked back down. "Why the hell does she deserve help?"

"Yeah, we should let her stay there," Lily seconded. "I don't want her getting the chance to do anything else to us!"

"Yeah, me either! I don't want to give her another chance to take you guys away!" she pouted. "I really like having you guys around."

"I can't believe you are all saying this!" Junko yelled angrily. "She's suffering, just as we were! Or did you forget that a week ago, we were living in the woods, too?!"

"Yeah, but, she kinda deserves it, don'tcha think?" Saki rebutted.

"I'm not disagreeing with you on that front, Junko," Ai replied, "but I think that Koutarou is one of the worst people we could possibly send to help her. We have no idea what his motive is or what he might do. He even sent Yuugiri out here instead of facing us himself!"

The driver's side door flew open and out stepped Koutarou. "You aren't very good at whispering." He walked around the front of the van and stood beside Yuugiri with his arms crossed.

Lily turned around, gasped, and dove behind Saki.

Ai stared him down. "What's your motive, Koutarou? What're you trying to do with her?"

"I'm checking on her. I heard she was betrayed by Korosuke and thrown off a bridge." He glared at Saki through his glasses.

"Okoba told him that," Maria whispered.

"We know!" Saki replied quietly.

"You realize you won't be getting us to be idols, right?" Ai asked. "We told you before, it'll never work."

He didn't answer. "Where are Sakura and Tae?"

"We don't know where Tae is!" Lily yelled.

 _No, don't tell him that!_ She glanced down at the child angrily.

He raised an eyebrow. "But you do know where Sakura is?" He rotated his head slightly to indicate through his shades that he was staring at Maria.

She shrugged. "Hey, man, don't look at me. They found her last night, like, an hour after we talked."

 _No! What the hell?! Are you stupid?!_ She facepalmed. _You guys gotta get better at not accidentally telling people stuff…_

"We only wish to help her," Yuugiri assured them. "There are no ulterior motives."

"Not even making her into an idol?" Ai asked in suspicion.

"If she wants to be an idol, I'll make her an idol," he answered. "But I won't be the one who decides what becomes of her."

"But if she wants to, then you'll drag us into it."

He nodded. "If she wants to, yes."

"So then why would we tell you? We don't-"

"JUST TELL ME WHERE SHE IS, YOU STUPID ZOMBIES!" he shouted, leaning down into each of their faces. "YOU THINK I WANNA STAND HERE ALL DAMN DAY ANSWERING EVERY QUESTION THAT POPS INTO YOUR STUPID ZOMBIE HEADS?!" He gestured wildly, poking his own head while scolding them.

"Hey! The hell do you think you're yelling at them for, HUH?!" Maria yelled back. She stood up and pushed her way through the girls to scold him. "You wanna die?!"

He stood back up and put his hands on his hips. "Anyways. If you know where she is, then tell me."

Junko put her hand on Ai's shoulder. "She doesn't even want to be an idol, remember?" she whispered.

She brought her hand to her chin.

Saki turned back to them. "I don't see the harm in telling. Even if she wants to, I can easily beat the crap out of her in a fight. And it's not like Tae's with her."

Lily closed her eyes and pondered. "You have a point… Korosuke still wants her dead, so she can't use them like last time…"

"But HE would be helping her instead."

"Well, he wasn't actually very good at helping her find us," she said. "He was more concerned with keeping her safe. He doesn't know what he's doing at all!"

"And we did tell her not to tell him about… her…" Junko added.

"But that still leaves Okoba…" Ai said. Suddenly, she gasped. "Wait, I have an idea."

"What?" Maria asked.

"Just watch." She turned back to Koutarou. "Alright, we'll tell you. On one condition."

"What is it?" he asked.

She pointed to his pocket. "Call Okoba and set him up for a meeting. We have unfinished business with him."

Saki's confused stare grew into a childish grin. _Oh, Bandages, you clever bitch…_

He paused for a moment then pulled out his phone. He tapped on the screen. "Where?"

She turned to Saki. "Where's a good place to beat up a reporter?"

Junko froze and stared at her.

Saki brought a hand to her chin with an evil grin on her face. "Probably a nice alleyway or something. A parking lot of it's night."

"Well, it's not." She glanced back toward him. "An alleyway somewhere."

"There's an alleyway near the mansion where Sakura met with him for the first time."

"Sounds good to me."

He tapped on the phone one last time and held it up to his ear. He turned around. "Hello? It's Tatsumi."

"You all must have a strong distaste for him," Yuugiri observed.

"You kidding me?" Saki asked. "He's been on our asses since the day after we jumped out of the van! I've been waiting for a good excuse to beat his ass into the ground!" She started cracking her knuckles in anticipation.

"Plus, if we hurt him, he won't be so excited to try and find us," Ai smiled.

"We need to meet in person as soon as possible," Koutarou spoke into the phone.

Junko grabbed Ai on the shoulder. "We're going to fight him?"

"Why wouldn't we?"

"I thought you didn't want to be violent…"

"I can't say much right now," Koutarou said. "Just meet me in the alleyway you met Sakura at. How soon can you be there?"

She shrugged. "I'm getting more used to it, really. I don't think I'd do it to just any innocent person, but he's been a pain since the train ride, and now he knows where Maria lives. He deserves what's coming." She lowered her eyebrows. "I thought you were the same. You didn't object against throwing Sakura into the ocean."

"I did, but I just didn't say it."

"Why not?"

"I thought it was necessary to ensure that no one else was turned into a zombie and to ensure Maria-san's safety… After what happened to Misa, I-"

"Shh, not so loud!" Ai whispered harshly, glancing at Koutarou and Yuugiri. "They're right there!"

"Oh, right, sorry…"

Yuugiri raised an eyebrow.

Ai wrapped her arm around her. "You don't have to do it if you don't want to. We'll do it."

She smiled softly. "Okay."

"Okay, that sounds good. I'll see you then." Koutarou hung up the phone and turned back to the girls. "He'll be at the alleyway across from Myokenebisu Shrine at 11:25 AM." He slid the phone back into his pocket. "Now where is she?"

"Mount Kagamiyama," Ai answered. "The parking lot in front of the shrine. That's the last place we saw her."

He nodded. "Thank you."

Saki turned back to Maria. "You know where that thing is?"

She shrugged and pulled out her phone. "I dunno. I'll google it."

"Now that that's over with, how are you all?" Koutarou asked.

"Huh?" She turned back around to face him.

"Are you safe? Are you happy?"

"Uh…" Saki looked around in confusion. "Yeah?"

He nodded again. "Good. Do you all have a place to live? A change of clothes, too?" He eyed Ai's poorly applied bandages.

"Yes…" Lily replied with suspicion.

"Good." He turned around. "I'm glad to hear that you're alright." He walked back around the van and climbed into the driver's side seat. "Come on, Yuugiri."

She bowed. "Goodbye, everyone. It was nice to see you again." She turned around and climbed back into the van. She gave one last look over her shoulder and smiled before closing the door behind her.

Koutarou gave them a long final look before he turned on the van, turned out of the parking lot, and headed for the mountain.

The five watched him speed away in silence. "Did he just ask us how we were doing?" Junko asked quietly once the van had disappeared from sight.

Saki turned around and sighed in relief. "Okay, good. I'm not the only one who thought that was weird."

"What, does he think he's your dad or something?" Maria joked.

"Yeah…" she laughed uncomfortably.

"My dad can beat up your dad!" Lily yelled with a cheeky grin.

Saki, Ai, and Maria snickered to themselves. Junko was left confused. "Wait, what? What does that mean? I don't understand…"

"I'll explain it to you later," Ai said. She turned to Maria. "For now, should we make our way to that shrine he was talking about?"

She nodded. "Let's get started."


	77. The Punishment

Shinta stepped out of his car and looked around. He brought a hand to his chin, as he clearly had been expecting Koutarou to arrive first.

Saki bounced up and down in excitement. _Oh yeah! Time to dish out some punishment!_

"Saki! Stay down!" Maria whispered angrily from behind the shrine. "Wait until he goes down the alleyway!"

"Oh, right." She sat back down and watched quietly.

Shinta took out his phone for a second, looked at the screen, and put it back in his pocket. Finally, he made his way over to the alleyway.

"Go! Go! Go!" Maria whispered loudly. She ran across the road, hunched over, and stopped at the entrance to the alleyway. The four zombies quickly grouped up behind her. "Okoba!"

He turned around. "O-oh, Dorami! What're you doing here?" he asked with his hands in his pockets. He struggled to hide his fear of the situation at hand.

She started slowly walking forward with her fists clenched. "Didn't we tell you not to mess with Dorami, Okoba?!"

He swallowed and started backing up. He took his hands out of his pockets and held them up in front of him. "I-I don't recall."

"You got two warnings!" she yelled, holding up two fingers. "And let me tell you, Dorami doesn't do third warnings!"

He backed into the wall and held his hands up. "L-listen, you girls really don't wanna do this! It'll be nothing but bad press!"

She reached up and grabbed him by the collar, yanking him down to her level. "You think we give a damn about the press, old man?" She released him and snapped her fingers.

Saki stepped forward and cracked her knuckles. "You have any idea how long I've been waiting for this, paperboy?" She got into a stance, twisted her hips, and threw a powerful cross punch into the reporter's right eye.

"Auugh!" he exclaimed in pain. His hands rushed up to his face.

Junko gasped and covered her eyes. "Oh, I can't watch!" She turned around and ran out of the alleyway.

"That's fine, Marshmallow!" Saki replied as she reeled back and prepared to sock the reporter in the jaw. "We'll let you know when we're done!" She launched into a powerful right hook that weaved around his arms and planted itself on his cheek. She followed through with the punch and nearly knocked herself off balance with how much it twisted her. She took a step back.

Shinta fell to his hands and knees and immediately started coughing up blood.

"This is what you get for screwing with Dorami!" Maria yelled as she kicked him in the nose.

He fell into the fetal position and wrapped his arms around his head to protect himself. Blood pooled on the ground beneath his head.

Ai ran up and kicked him in the back. "You should've known better, Okoba!"

He grunted in pain as the boot landed.

Lily quickly joined in, stomping on his head. "You stupid reporter!"

"No, no, no, Shrimpy! You wanna aim for the soft areas, like the gut," Saki tutored. "Those are what's the most painful. And hit with the toes, not the sole!"

"Oh, okay!" She hopped over him and started launching kicks into his stomach. "Like this, Saki-chan?"

"Yeah, like that!" She gave a thumbs up then started kicking him in the lower back.

The four girls stood around him kicking him repeatedly for a long moment.

Ai glanced up at Saki. "Do you think this is enough?"

She shook her head. "Maybe another 10 seconds or so of kicking. Then we're done." She continued sending her boot into his back.

"Wow, now I see why we wear steel-toed boots," Maria observed. "These are really effective." She switched feet and started swinging it into the reporter's chest.

"Yeah!" she replied. "See why we don't wear school shoes now?!" She slowly stopped kicking. "Alright, I think that's about good."

The three others stopped their kicking and looked down at the journalist trembling before them. He slowly uncovered his head and looked up at the three girls with a face that was already swelling and covered in blood. His nose was crooked to one side.

"Oh, gross!" Lily exclaimed.

"Oh, that's disgusting," Ai winced.

Saki leaned down and delivered one final backhand slap. Its crack echoed throughout the alleyway. "Don't screw with Dorami ever again, got it?"

He nodded as tears streamed down his face.

She stood back up and put her hands in her pockets. "Alright! Let's go!"

"That was pretty gruesome…" Ai muttered as she put her hands in her pockets and walked out of the alleyway.

"Hey, at least we didn't knock out any of his teeth," she shrugged. "Usually I try to get a few out when I'm punishing someone."

"Then why didn't you this time?" Maria asked.

"He needs to be able to talk in order to tell people what happened," she explained. "Once he gets that nose fixed, and maybe a couple ribs, we need him to be able to tell people not to mess with us."

"Oh, okay. Smart." She paused for a moment. "Wait, what if the cops get involved because of this?"

She turned around and stared at her blankly. "The cops here can't do anything. And even if they did, we'd just bust out of jail."

"You've broken out of jail before, Saki-chan?!" Lily exclaimed with stars in her eyes.

"Well, no, but it probably wouldn't be that hard. The cops in Saga are pretty terrible at what they do." She put her arms behind her head and kept walking. "Man, it's been a while since I've done one of those…"

The group emerged from the alleyway. Junko turned to look at them. "Oh, is it over already?"

"Yup," Maria nodded. "We shouldn't be seeing much of him anymore." She glared back down the alley. "If he knows what's best for him, that is."

Saki paused. "Oh, wait. One last thing." She turned back to the alleyway. "Hey, Okoba! If you publish our names or pictures in the paper, we'll come back and finish the job! Got it?!"

"Urrgh…" he groaned.

She turned back to the girls. "Yeah, I think he got it."

Junko sighed in relief. "Good… I can do the intimidation, but I can't actually fight. That's a bit too much for me."

"That's fine," she sighed. "Dorami always had a few people with certain… tastes." She strolled over to her bike and sat down. "So, let's get patrolling!"

"Sounds good to me," Maria said. "Dorami! Let's ride!"


	78. The Dream

Sakura awoke as a rough, wet tongue slid across the left side of her face. She shot up immediately. "Eugh!" She turned and looked at what had been licking her to find a small blue toy poodle with stitches across its head. "W-what?! A zombie dog?!"

"You look terrible," a man's voice said.

She gasped and turned to see a tall brown-haired man and a robed woman to her right. "W-who are you?!" she yelled in a panic. She started crawling backwards away from them.

The woman raised an eyebrow. "Do you not recognize us, Sakura-han?"

She stopped and looked up at their faces. _Do they know me from before…?_ She lowered her head. "I-I'm sorry… I was hit by a truck on Tuesday night, and now I don't remember what happened between when I died and yesterday…"

She raised her hand to her chin. "Oh, dear. That is concerning." She turned to the man next to her. "I suppose this is what Junko-han meant by her needing help."

He brought his hand to his chin and stared at her.

She turned back to Sakura and bowed. "My name is Yuugiri. I am a courtesan from the Meiji Era. Pleased to make your acquaintance."

"Wait, you're Yuugiri?" She squinted and looked closely at her. "But you look like a human… I thought you were a zombie…?"

"Yes, I am a zombie. This is just makeup."

"Oh, makeup! That makes sense." She held up her hand and inspected it. If _I could get some makeup, too, then-_

"How do you know of me if your memory was erased?" she asked curiously.

"H-huh?" She looked back up. "Oh! Ai Mizuno told me about you! I talked with her and another zombie named Junko Konno last night!" She squealed in delight. "I can't believe I met Ai Mizuno! She told me about you and Lily and Saki and… Tae… and…" her voice slowly trailed off as she turned her head towards the man next to the courtesan. Sakura's face turned to rage. "You! You're Koutarou Tatsumi!"

He nodded. "Yes."

She climbed to her feet and clenched her fist. "You're the one who did this to me! Who made me think I could be an idol! Who made me think it was okay for me to do all that stuff to them!"

He stared at her silently, unmoving.

"Don't just stand there! Say something! Do you have any idea how much of a mess I'm in because of you?! I've never been in so much trouble before!"

He crossed his arms. "You remember your life before you died?"

"What does that have to do with anything?!" she shouted, gesturing wildly. She gasped. "Did you take away my memory on purpose?! So I would go along with your stupid plan?! Did you do that because you thought that if I remembered my life, I wouldn't have done it?!"

"Sakura-han! I'm sure he would never do something like that!" Yuugiri protested. "You need to calm down!"

"No! Korosuke wants me dead! I'm hated by nearly every other zombie in existence! All because I went along with his stupid dream of being some kind of zombie idol producer!"

"IT'S NOT MY DREAM, YOU STUPID ZOMBIE! IT'S YOURS!" Koutarou's voice echoed throughout the forest.

Sakura's rant was cut short as she froze in fear. "Huh? M-my dream?"

He bent down and picked up the dog. "You dreamed of being an idol, did you not? When you were alive." He stroked its blue fur gently.

"W-well, yeah, but…" She paused. _Wait, how does he even know that?_

"Being an idol is your dream. What I offered you was a chance to fulfill that dream. Are you telling me that if you had remembered events from your life, you wouldn't have taken that chance?"

She looked down. "I… I don't know."

"The chance is still there, Sakura. If you want, we can keep trying to bring them back."

She looked up. "Are you kidding me?! Why would I want to do that?! They don't want to!" She shook her head. "If you want to make an idol group of zombies so bad, why don't you just go make some more zombies? Some that actually want to do it?"

"It doesn't work like that."

She looked down, paused for a moment, then looked back up. "Did you actually do anything to my memory?"

"No. We believe that was a result of the way you died." He pointed to the massive scar across her forehead.

"Oh." She held a hand to her head and felt the change in texture from skin to scar repeatedly. _That's weird…_

Yuugiri turned to Koutarou and lowered her voice. "Koutarou-han, I think it's time to tell him. It's over."

He stared at her for a moment and shook his head. "I can still make it work."

"How?" she asked bluntly. "You only have two of seven zombies. One of them is nowhere to be found."

"We can find her."

"Of course. We'll have to find her. But you need to realize that the project has failed. Those four are not going to come back."

He stared at her for another moment before her turned back toward the dirty zombie. "Sakura."

She perked up. "Y-yes!"

"Come here for a second."

She hesitantly stepped forward and stared up at him.

There was a long moment of silence.

He bent down, set the dog on the ground, and placed his hands on her shoulders. He took a deep breath. "Do you still want to be an idol?"

She pouted. "I already told you, I don't want to drag them into this!"

"I mean, if you could be an idol without dragging them into it. Would you?"

"H-huh? Um, well…" She pictured the stage of Aprino. "I mean… I wanted to be like Mizuno-san… I wanted to be strong like her… I wanted to be someone who could make people happy, no matter what… I even died trying to become one." She looked down. "But when I finally got the chance, when I finally had the means to do so, I did the opposite…" She felt herself choking up. "I hurt people; people who wanted nothing to do with me, including Mizuno-san herself… I don't want to give myself another chance to screw it up like that…" She felt a tear fall from her eye. "Not even Mizuno-san wanted to do it… so why should I?"

He stared at her silently for a moment before he spoke. "So you seriously don't want to be an idol, then?"

She shook her head. "Not at all."

He paused for a long moment and stared down at her. "Then what do you want to do?"

She looked up at him, then looked back down. "I don't know," she whimpered.

Yuugiri placed a hand on her shoulder. "Why don't we start by getting you cleaned up?" she suggested.

She sniffled. "Okay." She followed Yuugiri out of the woods.

Koutarou simply stared in silence.


	79. The Scars

"76,000, 77,000, 78,000. 78,320 yen," Maria counted. "Pretty good for a Thursday."

"Told you hitting the middle schools was a good idea," Saki replied.

"So we're done for today?" Ai asked excitedly.

Maria shrugged. "Yeah, I guess. Not unless we have anything else to do." She slipped the money back into the small clip she now used to carry their earnings.

The five were seated at a table in a large, mostly wooded park. No one else was around.

"We're actually all going to meet with that Harue girl today," Junko explained. "We're going to see if she can actually tell us anything about our bodies."

"Huh? Seriously?" Maria asked. "I thought you guys didn't want to."

"We thought so," Ai replied as she took out her cell phone, "but we realized there's actually more of a method to her madness than we thought. Plus, we'd like to see if she can heal our scars."

"Oh, that makes sense."

"Do you still have her number?"

"Oh yeah, it's in my phone. Lemme grab it for you." She pulled out her own phone and started tapping on the screen.

"I wanna see how strong my arms are when they're not on my body," Saki said. "I have so many ideas for pranks." She laughed mischievously.

"You better not do anything to me!" Lily pouted.

"Oh, relax, Shrimpy! The whole point behind getting pranked is you don't wanna get pranked, but when it's over with, you can laugh your ass off at it!"

"Here it is," Maria said. She slid her phone across the table.

"Thanks." Ai started typing the number in.

She looked up. "So, I guess I'm going home, then." She stood up and put her hands in her pockets.

"Why don't you come with us?" Junko suggested.

"Yeah!" Saki yelled. "You should really know all this stuff, too! It could come in handy sometime!"

"Seriously?" Maria shrugged. "Alright. Not like I have anything better to do."

"Yay!" Lily cheered.

* * *

The five pulled into the driveway and looked around. Harue's house was at the base of Mount Kagamiyama in one of the wealthier areas, so she had plenty of yard to spare. In addition, her yard was walled off in most places so it was an ideal place to test the physical capabilities of zombies. They each turned off their bikes and stepped off.

Harue flew around the back of the house at the sound of motorcycles. "Dorami!" She sprinted toward them.

Ai held up her hand. "Stop! Before we get started, we have a few boundaries we're gonna set down."

She paused and stared at her excitedly. "Okay! Okay! Tell me! Tell me!" She bounced up and down energetically.

"Number one! You won't do anything to us that we're not comfortable with! If we don't want you doing something, you won't do it! Do you understand?"

She nodded. "Right! I understand!"

"Number two!" Saki yelled, "You're gonna WARN us every damn time you do something to us! At least three seconds in advance!"

Again, her head frantically shook up and down. "Yes! Okay!"

"Number three," Maria announced, "You're not gonna tell ANYONE what you learn here except us! No one can know what they're capable of!"

She smiled wide. "That's fine! I'm fine being the only person in the world who knows!" She turned to Maria. "Aside from you, I guess!"

Um, Ai-chan, can I add one?" Lily asked, raising her hand.

"Huh? Uh, sure," Ai answered.

She lowered her hand. "We're people, too, so could you please treat us like people?" she asked. "Oh, and number four! That's number four."

Harue nodded. "Right! You're people, too! You're people, too! Okay!" She turned around. "Follow me!" She led the group around to the backyard, where she had arranged a set of lawn chairs, a stack of whole raw chickens, an electronic scale taped to the wall of her house, a set of weights, and several large kits of medical equipment. A large wooden deck sat attached to the house.

"Oh yeah!" Saki cheered. "This is awesome!"

"I know, right?! I'm so excited to be working on you guys!" Harue squealed. "Where should we start?! Oh, wait! I have to get info on all of you!" She rushed onto the deck and grabbed a large yellow notepad off a table. "Which of you wants to go first?"

"I will," Ai volunteered quickly. She walked up onto the deck.

Lily grabbed Saki's arm and bounced up and down. "I'm excited, Saki-chan! This is like going to the doctor, but way more fun!" She pointed at the stack of raw chickens. "Look at all those chickens!"

Junko stared at the electronic scale taped to the wall. "What is that thing…?"

Maria glanced around at all the medical equipment. "Jeez, this girl really has a budget, doesn't she?"

Saki rubbed her hands together. "Whatever! I can't wait to get started!"

* * *

After Harue had taken everyone's name, date of birth, date of death, cause of death, height, and weight, she put down her notebook and stood up excitedly. "Okay! Now!" She hopped off the deck and ran up to them. "What do you wanna test first?"

"I want you to take a look at my scars," Ai said, stepping forward. She reached toward her face and took the piece of bandage she had tucked behind the rest to secure them. "I'd like to know if you could do anything about them." She slowly started unwrapping her head, revealing dark, charred skin underneath. Streaks of brown and red blossomed throughout the darkness, creating lines traveling down her face.

Saki stepped around to see what she looked like underneath. It wasn't too different from how she looked under her own bandages.

Lily walked around her as well to get a look at her face. She winced at the burns. "Gross…" she muttered to herself.

Ai glanced at each of them and blushed in embarrassment. If her facial expression was any indication, she was extremely uncomfortable.

Harue stared excitedly as the zombie removed her bandages. "Wow, look at that! Burns AND Lichtenberg figures! Interesting!" She quickly started sketching the image before her.

Finally, her entire lower part of her head was unwrapped down to her neck. She held the long piece of bandage in her hand. "I looked it up, and I read that Lichtenberg figures are supposed to go away. But it's been ten years since I died and three weeks since I was revived, and they're still here. They haven't even faded."

She nodded her head. "Those are created when blood vessels rupture due to a large amount of electricity flowing through them!" she explained. She paused and looked up. "If your bodies don't heal themselves, then it makes sense why those are still there!"

"But they do heal themselves," she rebutted. She pointed at Saki. "Saki got stabbed on Sunday and the hole is already gone."

She lifted up her shirt and felt the area beneath her bandages. Any remnants of a hole that were there before had clearly disappeared.

She grinned. "Interesting! So anything you had when you died doesn't heal, but everything else does!"

Ai nodded. "Right. I wanted to see if you could maybe get rid of them."

"You want me to get rid of them?! Like surgery?!"

She hesitated and bit her lip. "If that's what it takes, then yes."

She squealed excitedly. "Wow! Really?! Surgery?! Okay, okay!" She turned to Saki. "Let me see where the hole was on you!"

"Uh, it's under the bandages," she pointed out. "These go from my ass to my pits. I'm not taking all this crap off so you can see that one thing."

"Awh! Well can you at least tell me if the scarring is still there where the hole was?"

She brought a hand up to her chin. "Well, I mean, I guess when it all grew back, the burns were still there, so-"

"Interesting! So it's like a birthmark, but with death! A deathmark! I don't know if I can remove a deathmark!"

"A deathmark?!" Ai shouted. "No! I don't want these! Look at me! I'm disgusting! Isn't there anything you can do?!" she pleaded.

She turned back to her and smiled. "It's possible that we could do a full-thickness skin graft! Do you have anywhere on your body with clear skin?"

"J-just this part between my eyes," she whimpered.

She shrugged. "Well, I could maybe make it work if there was more, but there isn't! Sorry!" she replied without a hint of sympathy. "Even if we took it from someone else, allogeneic grafts are a lot more risky and there's a high chance your body would reject it! So we probably can't do anything to fix that!"

She stared at her silently for a moment before speaking weakly. "You're serious…? There's nothing you can do?"

"Yup!" she nodded. She turned to Saki. "But you, on the other hand, we could do! You've got plenty of clean skin to go around! Oh, please can I do surgery on you?! Please?!"

She grinned. "Really?! You can do that?!"

Ai fell to her knees.

"Yup! Of course, I don't have any anesthetic, so you'd be awake for it, but I don't know if that would work on zombies, anyway!" She turned around and started digging through one of the medical kits. "Let me grab a scalpel!"

Saki watched her excitedly. _Finally, I'm gonna get rid of these damn burns!_ She glanced down at Ai and her smile dropped immediately. _Oh._ She stared at her for a moment. "Ai… you okay?"

She looked up at her with tears in her eyes, then looked back down.

Junko walked up behind her and gently put a hand on her shoulder.

Saki stared for another moment silently. _Ai, I… jeez… that's…_ She shook her head. _No. I can't do this to her, damn it. She wanted this so bad._

"Okay!" Harue exclaimed excitedly, now wielding a scalpel. "Let's get started!"

"Wait." She looked back at her. "I don't wanna do it."

Ai looked up at her. "Huh…?"

She looked down at the zombie next to her. "It wouldn't be fair if I did it. Not if you can't."

"But… Saki… I thought you wanted this…"

"Tsk! That doesn't matter! Who the hell cares what I want, damn it?!" She squatted down and placed her hand on her shoulder. "I know how badly you wanted this. I'm not gonna torture you like that."

Tears quickly filled her vision. She pulled Saki into a tight hug and winced in pain as her burnt face brushed against her hair.

"Awh! No surgery, then?" Harue pouted.

"Can't you see they're having a moment?" Maria snapped quietly. "Shut the hell up!"

Saki broke out of the hug and grabbed Ai's loose bandage. "Here, let's get you wrapped back up." She slowly started wrapping it back around her head. "Junko, lift up her hair for me." The two of them wrapped the bandaged girl back up slowly, making sure there was a decently-sized hole for her mouth. She tucked the end of the bandage behind the rest. "There. Good as new."

She sniffled. "Thanks."

She wrapped her arm around her and grinned from ear to ear. "Hey, don't worry about it! You and me? We're the burn sisters! We gotta stick together, ya know?"

She smiled softly. "Yeah."

"Heh." She smirked and stood up. "Alright, Harue! Let's get started on some actual tests!"


	80. The Studio

Sakura sat in the room which had apparently been her bedroom when she was still living in the mansion. She sat in a chair in front of a desk with a makeup mirror on it, brushing her hair gently. She wasn't totally sure if she could grow hair back, so she took extra care to ensure she didn't pull out any hairs in the process by gently trying to untie the knots in her hair with her fingers. It was a very long and arduous process. She wore her old high school uniform from when she was alive and before her on the table lay her signature bow. She didn't know why Koutarou had so many of her school uniforms and multiple bows identical to her own, but she didn't really care. She was just glad to get out of the gross and uncomfortable Korosuke outfit and into something she was familiar with. She stared at herself in the mirror and sighed. By now, she was over the whole zombie thing, but the words of each girl rung around in her mind like some sort of echo chamber of confusing and scary advice. _Everything's happening so fast… I don't know what to think…_

The door opened behind her.

She turned to see Yuugiri, still in her human makeup, walk in through the door. "Yuugiri-san!"

She smiled warmly. "Good evening, Sakura-han. Are you feeling better?"

"Yeah," she replied. Her eyes followed her to the floor in front of the couch in the corner.

"I'm glad." She sat down on the floor and pulled a small red box out from under the couch. She opened it and revealed a pipe and a lamp. She turned on the lamp and held the pipe over it for a moment before holding it to her mouth and taking a puff. She blew out a stream of smoke and sighed in relief.

Sakura's eyes drifted back to the mirror. She continued brushing her hair. Once she felt she had done enough, she put the brush down and picked up the bow. She tied it into her hair just as she had thousands of times before and smiled. _Well, at least I'm clean now._

"Sakura-han."

She turned. "Yes?"

"Do you know anyone by the name of Misa?"

She froze. "W-what?" she asked, trying and failing to mask her panic. _Sh-she wasn't supposed to know! How does she know?!_ "Who are you talking about? I don't know anyone named Misa…" she answered shakily.

She cocked her head and gave her a generous look. "Sakura-han, whoever she is, please don't be afraid to tell me. I promise I only have your best interests in mind."

She struggled to think of anything to say. "W-well, I… Um, you… She isn't…"

The door at the end of the room slammed open as Koutarou kicked his way in. "Good evening, ladies!" he shouted. "Ah, Sakura. I see you're all cleaned up."

She turned around. "H-huh? Oh, yes…" She smiled. "Thank you."

"You're welcome. Now." He turned. "Come with me. I want to show you something." He walked out of the room.

Sakura gave one last glance back at Yuugiri. _What a convenient way to get_ _out of a situation,_ she sighed. She stood up and walked after him. She followed him into the hall. By the time she had exited, he was already halfway down the stairs. She rushed after him. "Where are we going?"

He didn't answer. He just kept walking.

She followed him down the stairs to a side door. Across from the side door was a small building separate from the house, only connected by a short concrete path and an archway above. She stepped onto the concrete, warmed by the setting sun, and followed Koutarou through the door to the small building. She was amazed at what she saw. "Wow!"

Before her was an entire dance studio, complete with a wall mirror, ceiling-mounted speakers, a large whiteboard, multiple towels and cases of energy drinks, and a computer in the corner. A large window was all that separated her from the room.

She ran past Koutarou and threw the door to the studio open. "This is amazing!" she gasped. "It's just like the one Mizuno-san has! Er, had!" She ran to the middle of the room and looked around excitedly. She saw her reflection in the mirror. "Wow! It's so clear!"

"You like it?" Koutarou asked cheekily.

She looked at him and nodded. "Yeah! This is really nice!" She rushed over and pressed her ear to the soundproofing on the walls. There was a numbing silence on that side of her head. "It's so quiet…" she whispered. She pulled her ear away from the wall and ran her hand across the pile of towels. "So soft…" She turned back to Koutarou. "This place is amazing!"

"So amazing that you wanna use it to be an idol?" he asked, still in his cheeky voice.

The smile from her face fell. She stared at him. "Huh?"

His smile fell as well. "This is all for you, Sakura." He looked at the mirror version of her. "This whole project… the whole facility. It's all for you to use." He turned back to the real her. "That is, if you're willing to use it to be an idol."

She looked down. "I can't."

He crossed his arms. "Do you remember how much you wanted this? How much you idolized Ai Mizuno? How much you wanted to be like her?" He gestured around the studio and walked toward her. "What I'm giving you right now is the chance to do just that! I'm telling you right now, if there's one thing you can be, it's an idol!"

She pouted and looked up at him. "What, so you think I can't be anything else?! You think that I have to be an idol becau-"

"I'M SAYING YOU SHOULD REALIZE YOU STILL WANT TO BE AN IDOL, YOU STUPID ZOMBIE! I'M GIVING YOU EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO-" He was cut off as a slap crossed his face.

"I said no!" Sakura shouted. "Don't interrupt me when I'm trying to explain why I don't want to do this!"

Koutarou reoriented himself and held a hand up to his cheek where he had just been smacked.

She clenched her eyes shut and shook her head. "You're not going to change my mind! Especially when you talk to me like THAT!" She walked past the stunned man and turned back around, staring him down. "I tried it and it didn't work! Now, our circumstances are worse than ever! Why on Earth would it work now?! You have TWO girls and you can't get any more! It won't work! There's just no way! And even if it could work, I just don't want to!"

He just stared at her silently.

She took a deep breath. "Thank you for giving me a change of clothes and a shower, but I really don't think I want to stay with you anymore." She turned and walked toward the door.

"Wait."

She turned one last time to see him with his hands on his hips. "What is it?!"

He walked toward her slowly. "I won't force you to be an idol if you don't want to. Just don't go."

"Huh?" She turned all the way back around. "What are you…"

He placed his hands on her shoulders again. "Whatever you want to do now, I'll support you."

"What I want to do…?" She shook her head. "Wait, but just a second ago, you wanted me to-"

"Nevermind what I said a second ago!" he yelled. "I'm talking about now! What do YOU want to do, Sakura?!"

She paused for a moment and looked back at the mirror. _If he's helping me, then…_ She looked back at him. "There's one thing I have to do."


	81. The Slash

Saki swung her arm downwards toward the chicken. "Hyaargh!" she shouted as she attempted to slash her way through it once again. She frowned when her fingers merely stabbed it like last time. "Damn it!" She pulled her hand out and shook it off. "How the hell does she do it?!"

"Maybe try twisting your wrist as you land it," Maria suggested. "Like this." She flicked her wrist back and forth with her fingers in a claw shape.

"I already tried that," she groaned.

"Perhaps you should twist your body more," Junko pointed out. "Wait, actually, can I please see the video again? I need another look at it."

Maria groaned handed her her smartphone for the third time.

Saki sighed and turned around to see how the others were doing.

Ai was seated in a lawn chair with headphones on. The headphones were plugged into Harue's phone. On her chest was a small heart monitor. Her eyes were clenched shut and she held her mouth in a permanent twisted frown.

Harue smiled and pressed a button on her phone. She smiled as Ai curled up into a ball and started shaking. She kept an eye on the heart monitor and started writing. She was studying the effects of thunder and lightning on the girl by playing thunder noises on her phone. She grinned morbidly as the girl before her fought her way through her trauma.

Lily lay across two chairs that were facing each other. While her heart laid still, her chest rose and fell as she breathed peacefully. Hours prior, she had gone to sleep so Harue could study the effects of sleeping on zombies, but no one had the heart to wake her up once she was done. If the smile across her face was any indication, she didn't really feel like watching Saki attempt to slice through a chicken at the moment.

Saki turned back around. "Okay, let's do that again!" She reeled her arm back and swung it toward the chicken again, this time twisting her body more. Once again, her fingers merely plunged into the side of the chicken and did minimal damage. "Damn it!" she yelled, ripping her fingers out angrily. "What the hell am I missing?!"

Junko looked up from the video. "Nothing about what you're doing looks off…" she observed. "I'm not sure what the issue is."

Maria shrugged. "Maybe Tae was just really good at scratching when she was alive."

"No, that was definitely a zombie move," Saki sighed. "That wasn't something a human should be able to do." She turned back around. "Yo, Harue! Lemme see the findings again!"

She paused the playback on her phone and looked up. "Okay!" She held up her notebook and turned back to Ai. She slipped off her headphones. "Describe how you feel!" she demanded bubbly.

"Terrible…" she mumbled.

Saki walked over to her, grabbed the notepad, and flipped to the sheet where Harue had been listing each zombie's attributes and skills in one neatly sorted area. She went down the list silently. _Removal of body parts still allows for movement, eating not required to live but required for regeneration of tissue, sleeping not required but will still result in a worse mental state when forgone, body will regenerate to how it appeared upon death, increased run speed and jump height, virus does not transfer unless entered into bloodstream, can dislocate muscles at will, skin will absorb anything placed on it incredibly quickly, can land from high falls with no damage (at least 2 stories), cannot be poisoned._ She sighed. "Damn it, there's nothing on here that tells me what she's doing!" She threw the notebook back down, turned back to the chicken, and ran back over to it angrily. She slashed at it again and watched as her fingers plunged into the side again. "God damn it!" She pulled them out and tried again. And again. And again and again and again.

"Whoa, Saki! The hell's gotten into you?!" Maria asked in shock. "Calm down, damn it!"

She slammed down on the table with both hands. "No! I have to figure out what the hell Braindead was doing so that when I face her again, I can win!"

"Mmph…" Lily's mid-sleep smile turned to a frown for a brief moment.

She turned and glanced at the sleeping child. _Damn it…!_

"What if it's not something physical, but rather something mental?" Junko suggested. "Maybe, if you cleared your mind, you'd be able to do it!"

She turned to her. "How would that even help?"

"Well, zombies don't think, right? Or, at least, feral ones don't, so, if we clear your mind so you stop thinking, you'll think more like a zombie and you'll be able to do it." She took off her jacket and set it down on the table. "Here. You need to unwind either way." She sat down on the ground and started stretching.

"The hell are you doing?" Maria asked.

"Whenever I need to clear my mind of what's troubling me, I like to do yoga," she explained. She looked up. "Saki, take a seat. I'll guide you through the motions."

Saki raised an eyebrow. "Yoga? I thought that crap was all chakras and spiritual stuff and whatever."

"Yes, but a good amount of it is just relaxing your mind and body," she replied. "Give it a try."

She turned to Maria for a moment then looked back down at Junko. She shrugged. _It's worth a shot, I guess._ She squatted down and started stretching out.

"Maria, do you care to join?"

She stepped back. "Yeah, no thanks. I think I'll just watch." She sat down in the empty lawn chair and watched the two of them silently.

Junko crawled to be next to Saki. "Are you ready?"

"Hold on, lemme get my legs all stretched out." She bounced between each one, straightening them one at a time. With each movement, she felt and heard many pops and snaps throughout her body. Finally, she sat down and looked at her. "Alright. I'm ready."

"Okay. First of all, sit with your legs crossed. Put your hands on your knees and sit straight up."

"Uh, like this?" she asked. She sat in the pose Junko had described.

"Yes," she nodded. "Now close your eyes and take a long, deep breath."

She closed her eyes and inhaled. _So… what's this supposed to do, exactly? Clear my mind or whatever?_ She exhaled.

"Good. Now, put the soles of your feet against each other and slowly lean forward, breathing evenly as you go. Don't hold your breath."

She placed the bottoms of her boots against each other and leaned forward slowly. "You know, this isn't that different from the stretches I used to do when I was learning to fight." She felt her boots rub up against her shirt.

"Shh. Don't say anything. Just do as I say."

 _Okay. Don't say anything. Cool._ She heard Ai gasp in shock as more thunder sounds filled her ears. She looked up at her.

Junko placed her hands on her head and pushed it back down. "Close your eyes and your ears. Block out everything except the sound of my voice. No distractions."

 _No distractions. No distractions. Got it. Right._ She closed her eyes, took another deep breath, and relaxed.

She placed her hands on her back. "You have a lot on your mind right now, Saki. I can tell."

 _How could I not? Sakura's acting weird, Reiko still hates me, and I still have you guys to protect._

"I want you to, just for right now, forget about all of it."

She looked up. "Huh?"

She pushed her head back down. "Forget about all of it. Stop thinking. Don't think about the bad things and don't think about the good things. Don't think about anything. Just clear your mind."

She closed her eyes once again and stopped thinking about what she was worried about. _But… now what am I supposed to think about?_

"Just clear your mind," she said soothingly.

 _Just clear… my mind…_

"Just clear your mind."

 _Clear…_ She felt the rest of the air in her lungs make their way out, but she didn't do anything to replace it. _My…_ She let her heart slow to a crawl. Her brain quieted down and her muscles relaxed. She was nearly limp. _Mind…_ With that thought finished, not a single thought afterwards passed through her mind. In an instant, she let go of everything that made her Saki Nikaido.

"SAKI! STOP!" Maria screamed.

At the mention of her name, Saki snapped back to reality and immediately stopped running. She crashed into the ground suddenly and slid through the grass on her face. "Mmph!" She skidded to a stop and felt her body go limp once more. She looked up and gasped. "What the hell?!"

"S-Saki, what the hell was that…?" she whimpered as she rose to her feet.

Harue brought a hand to her chin. "Interesting…!"

"Maria!" Junko ran over to her and placed her hand on her shoulder. "Are you okay?! I'm sorry! We shouldn't have tried that!"

Saki slowly pushed herself off the ground, coughing up pieces of grass. "W-what?! What's going on?!" she shouted. She looked around. She was now on her knees a few meters from Maria, who was trembling in fear. "W-what just happened?! Why am I over here?!" She climbed to her feet and turned around. She spotted the chicken, which was now ripped into tiny shreds and strewn all about. "Hey! Did I do that?!" She ran over to it excitedly. "Whoa! I did the slash!" She turned back to the girls behind her, beaming. "Guys! I did the slash!" Her smile fell, however, as she saw that everyone, aside from Harue, was staring at her in fear. "W-what? Why's everyone staring at me?"

"Saki, what the hell was that?" Maria asked. She was petrified. "W-was that some kind of prank or something? B-because it wasn't fucking funny!"

"Huh? What're you talking about?"

"That was so scary," Lily whimpered. Tears were forming in her eyes. "Saki-chan, don't ever do that again!"

"W-what?! What did I do?!"

"Okay, everyone calm down!" Ai shouted. "It's okay! She's back! We're fine!"

"The hell do you mean, I'm back?! I've been here the whole time! Will one of you tell me what the hell is going on?!"

She turned to her. "Saki, I don't know what just happened, but I'm pretty sure you just went feral."

She paused for a moment to process what had just been said to her. "I DID WHAT?!" she shouted.

Harue ran up to her, notepad and pen in hand. "What's the last thing you remember?" she asked excitedly.

"Uh, Junko telling me to clear my mind! I just kind of… stopped thinking, and then I woke up eating grass!" She looked at the ground where her face had landed. "What the hell was I doing?"

"Interesting! So your brain activity dropped back below a certain point and then you went feral!" she scribbled furiously. "Fascinating!"

"Saki, that was minutes ago," Junko said. "Were you feral that whole time?"

"I-I guess! I don't remember anything past that!" She glanced at Maria, who was quivering in terror. "What the hell did I do to Maria?"

Maria looked up at her. "You… I said 'holy crap' when you destroyed the chicken, and then you turned around and started running at me on all fours like Tae…" She sat down in the lawn chair next to Lily and stared down. "I seriously thought I was gonna die."

 _I… I almost killed her?_ She looked down at her hands. They were covered in chicken guts. _I was only trying to protect you… but… I almost killed you._ She looked up. "I can never do that again."

"Obviously!" Ai yelled as she walked back over to Maria. She wrapped her arm around her. "Hey, you're okay."

"What brought you back?" Harue asked excitedly.

"Huh? I, uh, I heard Maria yell my name." She stared at her boss.

"Fascinating!" She looked down and continued writing. "So it was easier for you to return to consciousness than it was for you to return to feral… and all it took for you to return to consciousness was to hear your name."

"Saki…" Junko whispered as she walked back over to her. She placed her hand back on her shoulder. "It wasn't your fault. We shouldn't have tried that."

She looked down. "I only wanted to protect you guys…"

"I know." She wrapped her arm around her shoulders. "We'll find another way for you to do it. But messing with our minds is clearly a bad idea."

She paused for a moment and turned to Harue. "Hey. That's not gonna happen again if I don't want it to, will it?"

She looked up from her writing. "Well, you had to consciously put effort into returning to that state, so probably not! As long as your brain activity stays above a certain level, you should be fine! Not even sleeping plunges it low enough!"

"Oh, thank god," she sighed. She looked down at herself to see that her shirt and pants were stained green from sliding across the grass. "Aw, damn it. I'm gonna have to wash these."

"Saki," Junko whispered, "you should say something to Maria-san."

She looked up to find Maria sitting in a lawn chair with Ai and Lily comforting her. She clearly had shaken her quite a bit. _Yeah. I should say something._ She pushed past Harue and walked up to her boss. "Hey, you okay? Sorry I almost killed you. I really didn't mean it."

She looked up at her slowly. She stared at her in stunned silence.

She sighed. "Listen, there's a lot of crap I don't know about being a zombie." She put her hand to her head. "Damn it, where am I going with this?" She groaned and dropped her hands back down to her sides. "Listen, kid. I'm not gonna make excuses. That was fucking stupid. Promise I won't let it happen again."

She continued just staring at her.

She crossed her arms. "Look, I said I was sorry! What more do you want?"

After a long moment of silence, Maria finally spoke. "Don't tell my mom."

She laughed. "Like hell am I telling your mom that I almost killed you!" She wiped her wet hand off on her pants and extended it toward her. "We're good?"

She nodded and took her hand, using it to pull herself up onto her feet and into a hug. "We're good."

Ai sighed. "Well, I think that's enough for today." She stood up, grabbed her backpack off the ground, and put her hand on Maria's shoulder. "Harue, we're done."

"Awh! Are you gonna be back tomorrow?" she asked.

"We'll figure that out later." She took her key out of her pocket and twirled it on her finger. "Thanks for your help."

"Of course! Thank you for letting me study you!" She bowed, turned around, and started cleaning up the pieces of chicken.

Saki and Maria broke out of the hug. Saki walked back over to the table and grabbed her jacket. She wiped some raw chicken off of it and slipped it on. "Well, I guess we'll see you tomorrow, then, Maria."

"Actually," she interjected, "you guys think you can come back to my house with me? I'm kinda worried about seeing Shades outside my house again. Especially if this time he has Sakura with him."

"Of course," Junko replied. She slipped back on her own jacket and took her key out of her pocket. "Let's go."

Lily climbed out of her chair. "We're leaving already? But I just woke up!"

Maria laughed. "Shrimpy, you were out for four hours."

"Four hours?! But you guys were supposed to wake me up after twenty minutes!"

"I know, but you were too damn cute!" she said with a smile. "None of us wanted to!"

She pouted and looked to the side. "I'm only not mad 'cause you called me cute."

She snickered. "Whatever. Let's get going."

* * *

Dorami stopped outside the Amabuki household and turned off their engines "There he is!" Ai pointed. Before them was a black van parked at the bottom of the stairs.

Saki stepped off her bike and cracked her knuckles. "Alright, Shades, whatever you wanna throw at us, we can take it."

The van's left side door slid open and its light illuminated the road in front of it.

"Go ahead," Koutarou said from within the van. "I'll be right here the whole time."

There was a gulp. "Okay… I'm going now."


	82. The Apology

Sakura stepped out of the van and walked around to the back. She stared at the group before her silently for a moment.

 _Of course it's Sakura, damn it._ Saki squinted. "You gonna say anything or are you just gonna stand there staring at us?"

"U-um, well…" She reached across her chest and rubbed her stump in a show of bashfulness. "I don't know how to say it…"

"Say what?! Just spit it out!"

"I… I'm sorry," she said. She looked down. "I'm sorry for the mess I made."

She raised an eyebrow. _Is she… apologizing?_ She turned and glanced at her group members behind her. While Ai and Junko were beaming, Lily and Maria seemed just as confused as she was. _Good, I'm not the only one…_ She turned back forward.

"It must be weird to hear me say this, since you all remember me as kind of a different person…" She took a deep breath. "But… I really feel bad about what I did to you all, even if I don't remember it." She looked up. "I'm sorry I tried to force you all into being idols. If I'm being honest, I don't want to be an idol, either." She released her stump and let her arm fall limp to her side. "You all were right from the start. It would never work out."

"About damn time you realized," Saki grumbled.

"Yeah…" She looked up. "Um, excuse me, but are you Saki?"

"Yeah, what about it?" she asked skeptically.

She let out a slight smile. "Thank you."

She stared at her for a long moment. "Uh… what?"

"Thank you for throwing me in front of that truck. It's the reason I'm not some sort of idol-obsessed lunatic anymore. You brought back my memories. In a way, you're the one who brought me back from the dead, not Koutarou." She looked down. "I would really like to get to know you all… so…" She bowed. "Please forgive me for what I did! I promise I won't do it again!"

She continued to just stare at her. _I seriously don't get any of this…_

"Why should we believe you?!" Lily rebuked. "How do we know this isn't another trick?!"

"Huh?" She straightened back up. "I'm not lying! I really don't want to be an idol anymore and I'm really sorry!"

"I don't believe you!"

Junko stepped between Lily and Sakura. "Would you excuse us for a moment?" she asked.

"Um, sure…" She shot a sorrowful glance at the child.

She turned around. "Everyone, huddle," she whispered.

The five all got into their usual circle of interlocked arms.

"Everyone, she really needs you to say yes," Ai said.

"But I really don't believe her," Lily replied softly.

"Listen, you don't have to believe her. Just please tell her you do so that she'll feel better about herself. She's seriously been through a lot."

"It's unreasonable for us to expect you all to forgive her after one night, but please give her the chance to redeem herself," Junko pleaded. "If you give her some time, I'm sure she'll prove to you that she can be trusted."

Lily glanced at her nervously. "You really think so, Junko-chan?"

She nodded. "I do."

"You're asking us to trust her?" Maria asked.

"Just give her the chance to earn your trust. I assure you, she really is telling the truth."

She sighed. "You know, if you're wrong, it could give her a chance to force you into being idols."

Ai nodded. "And if she does, we'll deal with it just like we have before. But we really don't think she will."

She paused for a moment and turned to Saki. "Saki, what do you think?"

"Wh- me? Uhh, I guess we could give her a shot, yeah." She scratched her head. "To be honest, this whole thing is really confusing…"

"What's so confusing about it?" Ai asked.

"I just don't get it. Why's she coming to us even though she knows we tried to throw her into the ocean last night?"

"Because she wants to correct all the mistakes she made when she didn't know any better. Literally."

"Yeah, but… I just don't get it."

She sighed. "You don't have to get it. Just please give her a chance to prove to you that she really has changed." She looked over at Lily. "Lily, I promise you, she's telling the truth. Just give her a chance to prove herself. Trust me."

The child stared at her for a second then sighed. "Fine."

"Okay, are we all in agreement?" Junko asked.

"I think so," Maria said. "Saki, you're on board with this?"

She shook her head. "I don't get it, man, but sure. If you all think we should."

"Okay. Break." She stood up and turned to Sakura. "Alright. We'll give you a second chance."

She gasped. "Really?! You will?!"

She nodded. "Yeah, but the second you start spewing idol shit, we'll straight up kill you."

She was clearly shocked by this statement, but soon shook it off. "That's okay! I don't wanna be an idol, anyways!" She turned around and banged on the back door of the van. "Koutarou-san! They said yes!" she cheered excitedly.

He stuck his head out the window. "Good for you."

"Was he listening that whole time?" Saki asked quietly.

'Creepy," Lily muttered under her breath.

Sakura turned to the two idols. "Mizuno-san, Konno-san, thank you for doing all this for me. If it weren't for you, I'd probably be at the bottom of the ocean right now…"

Ai shook her head. "Anything for a fan." She gasped. "Oh! Before I forget! Here." She reached into her backpack and produced a familiar appendage. She handed it to her.

She gasped. "My arm?!" She took it and bent her fingers. She watched in astonishment as they moved despite not being attached to her body. She happily stuck it back down her sleeve and twisted it on. "Thank you, Mizuno-san…"

She smiled warmly. "Call me Ai."

A small smile spread across her face. "U-um, is it okay if I hug you? Ai?"

"Sure."

Sakura leaned forward and hugged her idol. "This is the best day of my life…"

"You mean your afterlife?" Junko asked.

Ai groaned. "Now's really not the time, Junko…"

The hug held for a few more seconds and then broke apart.

"What are you going to do now?" Junko asked.

"I… I don't know. I guess there's still one more person I have to apologize to…"

"Who is it?"

"Misa."

Saki froze and glanced at Koutarou's head peeking out of the window of the van. _Crap! What do they know about Misa?_ She looked back at her. "Sakura! C'mere!"

She perked up. "Y-yes?" She walked over to her slowly.

"You haven't told Shades about Misa, have you?" she asked quietly.

"Huh? W-well, no, but…" She glanced back at Koutarou then turned to her again. "You all know about Yuugiri-san, right?"

"Uhh, yeah. We just saw her this morning." She squinted in suspicion. "You tellin' me that you told her?"

She put her hands up in front of her "N-no! She just asked me if I knew anyone named Misa earlier!" she yelled defensively. "I didn't tell her anything! She just knew!"

"Keep your voice down!" she whispered through clenched teeth. "You're serious? Crap…"

"Why should we care?" Ai asked. "It's not like we like her or anything."

"Yeah, but, like, we've got sort of a… thing going on? A rivalry? I dunno, but I really like it. Either way, we should probably go tell her."

"Oh, can I come with you?" Sakura asked. "So I can apologize?"

She waved her hand nonchalantly. "Yeah, whatever. You can ride with Bandages. Just get rid of Shades before we go."

She nodded. "Okay!" She jogged back over to the van and looked up at him. "Koutarou-san, we're going to meet someone who you aren't allowed to see."

He pouted. "Aw, why not?" he asked playfully.

"U-um…" She turned to Ai.

"She'd probably kill you!" she answered, panicked.

His face turned sour. "Oh." He looked back at Sakura. "Be careful. You know where the mansion is. Come back once you're done." He pulled his head back into the van and rolled up the window. After a moment, it turned on and sped away.

Maria coughed and fanned her hand around to clear the air. "Jeez, you guys are lucky you don't need to breathe anymore…"

"Huh? We don't?" Sakura asked.

"Whatever. Let's go!" Saki yelled, climbing onto her bike.

"Sakura-san," Junko warned, "Misa will likely be very upset with you when she sees you. Please expect to have a hard time getting through to her."

"Oh, really?" she replied. "Well, I guess I'll just have to do my best!"

* * *

The six girls stood on the balcony outside Misa's apartment. Sakura stood in the back, crouched down behind Ai.

Maria knocked on the door and stepped back.

After a moment, a disgruntled Misa opened the door slightly and peeked her head out the slot she had made. "Dorami… What on Earth are you doing here…?" she asked menacingly.

"Shades knows about you," Maria answered. "We came to warn you. He's probably gonna be looking for you."

She gritted her teeth. "Are you serious?! This is why we should have thrown her into the ocean like we planned!" She shot a glare at Ai and Junko.

"Actually, Sakura wasn't the one who told them," Junko interjected. "They just asked her about you."

She squinted. "Did she tell them anything?"

"No."

She sighed in relief. "Well. You all just made an already terrible night even worse. I hope you're happy." She rolled her eyes. "Thank you, I suppose. Now get off my property."

"Wait!" Ai yelled. "We aren't done!"

She glared at her. "What else do you have to say? Aren't you done?"

"Well, we are," she replied as she stepped to the side, revealing a red-haired zombie behind her. "But she isn't."

"SAKURA!" she yelled through gritted teeth.

She stepped forward and raised a hand weakly. "Um, hi, Misa… I came to apologize to you."

She raised an eyebrow. "Apologize? For what?"

"For turning you into a zombie…" She bowed. "I'm sorry! You didn't deserve that… and now you're in really hot water all because of me. B-but I promise I didn't tell them anything! Yuugiri-san just came to me and asked about you! That's how we know." She looked down. "But I just wanted to apologize because I was really the start of all this…"

She squinted. "Okay… anything else?"

She looked back up. "Huh? Wait, you're not mad? I thought you were mad at me…"

"Oh, believe me, Sakura, I'm mad. But not because I'm a zombie."

"Then what are you mad for?" she asked innocently.

Ai elbowed her in the side. "We shot out their tires last night, remember?" she whispered.

"Oh, right! I'm sorry about that, too!"

Misa stared blankly at her. "If you think an apology is going to make up for that, you are terribly mistaken. Do you have any idea how expensive the new tires were?"

"You bought entirely new tires?" Saki laughed. "Seriously? Just get one of those tire plug things! It was only a nail!"

She glared at her angrily. "I've had just about enough of you, Dorami. I'll tell you what. We'll settle this tomorrow night. Mount Kagamiyama. Midnight. For real this time. I expect to see all of you there."

"Okay, well, if you want all of us there, you're gonna have to do it earlier," she reminded her smugly.

"Fine! 9 PM! I expect to see ALL OF YOU!" She gestured to all six of the girls before her.

"A-all of us?!" Sakura asked in a panic. "But I'm not even in Dorami…!"

She glared at her. "Listen. You rode on a Dorami bike. You used Dorami weapons to shoot out our tires. You're standing on my porch with Dorami members as we speak!" She poked her in the chest. "As far as I'm concerned, YOU'RE a member of Dorami, too!" She retracted her arm. "Now get off of my property!" She slammed the door in their faces and turned out the light in her apartment.

"I thought she rented this place," Lily muttered under her breath.

Maria subtly held out her hand for a high-five and received a satisfying slap from the child.

Saki sighed. "Alright, well, that didn't go so bad." She put her arms up behind her head and started down the stairs. "Maria, think you can handle taking her home?"

"W-wait! You all aren't worried about this?" Sakura asked, gesturing to the door.

She shrugged. "Why would we be? Korosuke was gonna fight us eventually. And they're not really a threat to us, anyway."

"Seriously, I'm only pissed that she lumped us with you," Maria added as she followed the zombie down the stairs. "The hell kind of biker wears a school uniform?"

"You did until last week," Lily reminded her playfully, bouncing down the steps.

"Hey, forget about that!"

Sakura looked nervously at Ai and Junko. "Why are they so calm about this?"

Ai put her hand on her shoulder. "Relax, Saki has fought Korosuke's entire forces before and won single-handedly. I'm sure it'll be fine." She walked down the stairs with the rest of her crew.

She ran over to the railing and watched as the five Dorami members walked to their bikes, relaxed as ever. "You're really not upset about this?"

"Seriously, it's not that big a deal," Maria said from the parking lot below, turning around to face her. "Why the hell are you so worked up?"

"Because they have Tae!"

The five girls froze and slowly looked up at her. "Say what?" Saki asked.

"That's what Kozue-san told me last night! I asked where she was and she said she couldn't tell me! So that means they must be planning to use her on you all!"

Ai turned to Saki. "That means we have to learn how to fight Tae…"

She gulped. "Within the next 24 hours."


	83. The Sleepless Night

Saki laid in bed staring at the ceiling silently. It had been hours since the gang split up and hours since everyone had gone to bed. She hadn't closed her eyes once since she had gotten home and she probably wasn't going to for a while. She couldn't take her mind off the upcoming fight.

There was the creaking of bed springs next to her as Lily rolled over. "Saki-chan…"

She looked to her left to find a glowing pair of red eyes staring at her. "What?"

"I can't sleep."

She sighed. "That makes two of us." She sat up and scooted over to the side of her bed. She leaned over and flicked on the lights, immediately blinding herself. "You worried about the fight, too?"

"Yeah."

She grunted as she rose to her feet. "What time is it?"

"3 AM."

She walked over to Lily's bed and sat down on it. "Damn it, we're already down to eighteen hours…"

"Well, we can't do anything until Harue answers Ai-chan's texts…"

She sighed. "Yeah, but…" She grabbed her head with both hands. "Damn it all! What're we gonna do?!"

"Don't be so loud!" she reminded her quietly. "Pappy's trying to sleep!"

She looked back down and started opening her eyes slowly. "Oh, right. Sorry. I'm just really freaking out."

"Are you mad at Sakura?"

She shook her head. "It's not her fault. I'm the one who laughed at Misa about the tire thing, and that's what set her off. And now she's expecting you and Junko to show up, too…" She put her head in her hands. "I really screwed up this time, damn it…"

Lily threw her covers off of her and crawled forward. She wrapped her arms around her sister. "It's okay, Saki-chan. I'm sure you'll do good in the fight."

She smiled and started rubbing her back gently. "Thanks." She looked down at her. "You think Sakura'll help much?"

"Well, she can tell Tae what to do, but maybe they're gonna give her earplugs or something so she can't hear her." She looked up. "And then Sakura wouldn't be able to tell her to stop attacking us…"

"Yeah, that's a problem," she sighed. "Who knows? Maybe she'll just challenge us to chicken like we thought last time."

"I don't think she will, based on how she wanted to-" Lily's stomach grumbled. She looked down at it. "Oh…"

Saki smirked. "Oh, yeah. Guess we never had dinner, huh? Wanna go get something from downstairs? Maybe your pops has some leftovers we can nuke."

"Okay!" She hopped up and bounced over to the door, followed by Saki.

The two girls snuck out into the hall quietly and made their way down the stairs. They turned the corner and headed to the kitchen. They pushed the door open and were shocked to see that the light was already on and another girl was standing before them.

"Haah!" Saki yelled in surprise. "Marshmallow? What're you doing up?"

Junko looked up. "Oh! Can you not sleep, either?"

Lily sighed. "No…"

She looked back down at the pot of water on the stove. "I decided to make some tea for Ai and myself. We're having trouble calming our nerves." She paused and looked back up at Saki. "Yoga doesn't help, either. If anything, it makes it worse."

She winced. "Sorry I ruined yoga for you."

She shook her head. "It's alright. I'm just a little shaken up, is all. I'll get over it with time."

Lily walked to the fridge and threw it open. "Hmmm…" she hummed. She brought her hand to her chin. "I don't think we have any leftovers…"

"Didn't he just go to the store?" Saki asked. She walked over to the fridge to find it chock full of food. "Yeah, see? Never said it had to be leftovers. We can just eat whatever."

"Wait, let me check the pantry! Maybe we have some snacks!" She rushed to the pantry and threw it open. "Whoa, that's a lot of popcorn…"

Junko smiled. "I see you two are hungry."

Saki shrugged. "We didn't eat any dinner." She reached into the fridge, grabbed a small container of yogurt, and shut the door. "Of course we're hungry."

She watched as the water on the stove slowly started forming bubbles. "I'm not used to using a pot to boil water…" she said quietly.

"Oh, is that what you're doing?" Lily asked. "Why don't you just use the boiler?"

She raised an eyebrow. "The what…?"

She opened a cabinet under the counter and pulled out an old electric water boiler. "Here! Use this! Pappy got it for Oseibo one year, but I don't think he ever used it."

"What is that thing?" she asked.

"It's the boiler! Here, I'll show you how it works!" She set it down in the sink and started filling it with tap water. She turned off the stove. "This is way faster, I think. I know it's easier for sure."

Saki plunged a spoon into her yogurt and scooped some into her mouth. "I never got the hype behind these things," she said. "They're just kettles, but more expensive."

The door squeaked slightly as a tired Ai made her way into the room. "Maybe we should try some sleeping pills, Junko," she mumbled, rubbing her eyes. She glanced at the three girls in the kitchen and her eyes shot open. "Gah! Saki! Lily! You're here, too?!"

"Be quiet!" Lily reminded her sternly. "Pappy is sleeping!"

"R-right, sorry."

"Sup, Bandages?" Saki asked. "No one else can sleep."

She nodded. "I guess that makes sense. Waiting for Harue to respond is agonizing. Our time is slowly ticking away, and there's nothing we can do about it."

She sighed. "Yeah, it sucks."

"Alright, well, if no one else is sleeping, then I guess I could do something a bit more useful with my time." She left the room.

"The hell does that mean?" she asked, walking after her. She followed her into Takeo's office. "What're you doing?"

She pulled some paper off of a shelf and sat down at his desk. She pulled a pencil out of the pencil cup and started drawing. "I'm planning. There's no telling what might happen tomorrow night. We need to have plans and we need to have backup plans if we're going to win." She looked up at her. "I'm not totally sure we'll be able to figure it out in time."

She stared at her and silently lifted another scoop of yogurt to her mouth. _That's… really bad._

"Do me a favor and look up the parking lot on Google Maps, will you?" she asked, gesturing to Takeo's laptop next to her.

"Oh, uh, sure." She set down her yogurt and flipped open the computer. She was presented with a lock screen prompting her for a password. "Crap, you know the password on this thing?"

She shook her head. "Ask Lily."

She groaned and made her way back into the kitchen. "Hey, Shrimpy. You know the password to your pops' laptop?"

Lily and Junko were busy trying to work the electric water boiler. Lily turned around. "Oh, sure! It's 'hydrangea889b'."

"Cool, thanks." She walked back into the office and typed in the password. She was soon presented with a desktop. The background was the picture Takeo had taken Tuesday morning. "Oh, man."

Ai glanced at the screen and smiled. "That really is a cute picture."

"Yeah, I just wish I'd looked better for it," she moped. "We should have him take a better one sometime."

"You mean like those super scripted ones families take?"

"Uh, yeah, I guess."

"Yeah, maybe." She looked down at the paper before her and continued sketching.

She navigated to the internet browser and double-clicked. Once the homepage loaded, she typed the URL into the address bar and hit enter. She watched as the map of Saga appeared on screen. She zoomed out and scrolled north. "What the hell? Is that what Karatsu looks like from above? Doesn't look right."

She glanced over at the screen. "You're in Fukuoka, not Karatsu."

She stared at it blankly for a moment, reading the obvious city label and feeling like an idiot. "Oh." She leaned down and scrolled to the southwest, where she found Karatsu. "Okay, this looks better." She zoomed into Mount Kagamiyama and set the imagery to satellite mode so she could see the parking lot. "Here it is."

"Thanks."

She stretched her arms over her head and arched her back. "Man, this whole thing sucks…"

Lily and Junko walked into the room. "What's going on in here?" Junko asked.

Saki looked over at them. "Ai's planning. We should get some chairs. We're probably gonna be here a while."

The three of them walked back into the living room and took a chair from the table. They carried them into the office and sat down around Ai.

"Okay, I'm sorting our plans into 'zombie attacks' and 'no zombie attacks'," Ai explained. "We should all have a decent idea of all of them before we go in so we know what we're doing."

"A decent idea…?" Junko asked quietly. "Shouldn't we have it down perfectly?"

"Relax, as long as we follow roughly what each plan says then we should be fine. Saki, Sakura and I are gonna be the only ones really fighting in these. Junko, Lily, and Maria will stay back, maybe providing some support from the outside like taking away their weapons or something. If she knows anything, she'll try to separate us, but it's important that we have each others' backs. Especially for Sakura and I."

"You really think Sakura's gonna fight?" Lily asked.

"Well, I don't think she'll really fight, but she'll be an incredibly important part in subduing Tae. If she does fight, though, that would make things a lot easier."

"Jeez, you're really putting a lot of thought into this," Saki observed as she picked back up her yogurt.

She turned around. "Well, what's your normal plan when you get into a fight?"

She shrugged. "I dunno, win?" She put another spoonful into her mouth. "I make shit up on the fly 'cause I'm a pro."

"Well, we don't really have the luxury of thinking on the fly when Tae is there." She turned back to the paper and kept sketching. "From what we can tell, Korosuke has around twenty or so members, not including Misa. Assuming one of them will be controlling Tae until you and Misa are done bantering, that leaves a pretty big area where Korosuke will form their circle. Now, luckily, most of their weapons are melee, so if we keep a good distance, we should be good. The nail gun should also be a good way of keeping them back. Saki can easily take them out, but I think our biggest challenge aside from Tae is gonna be Misa."

"What makes you say that?" Junko asked.

"She's a zombie now, so she has all our powers, too. Maybe they're a little less extreme because she was only converted two nights ago and her flesh is probably still mostly fresh, but she'll still have powers that she didn't have before. She could be a bit unpredictable."

Lily's stomach grumbled again. "Oh, I forgot to get food!" She hopped off her chair and ran back into the kitchen.

"I think she's a bit too horny for her whip to actually use her powers," Saki said smugly.

"H-horny…" Junko whispered, blushing brightly.

"Well, you never know. That's why we're planning." She held up a finished sketch of the parking lot with a complete circle of Korosuke members surrounding three circles. Three circles stood on the outside as well. Each circle was labeled with a name. There was also a star, labeled Tae, within the circle. "This is how it's probably going to happen. Given that they're expecting Sakura to be there, they're probably taking some measures to make sure she can't control Tae. Our first priority should be getting her back under our control. Once we have Tae on our side, we need to keep her calm so she doesn't bite anyone else. Then we can fight off the rest of Korosuke and get out of there. We can bring Tae back to Koutarou and he can do whatever he wants with her, and then we're done. That's the basic idea of what we should be doing."

Lily reentered the room, now holding a bag of fried squid. "Okay, let's start planning!"

* * *

Four hours later, two stacks of paper sat on the desk before the group. The four girls were sitting back and relaxing together in the office, sipping tea and eating fried squid.

"And that's how an engine works," Saki concluded.

Lily bounced up and down excitedly. "Wow! That's so cool!"

Junko shook her head. "Sorry, I don't think I understood any of that…"

"Well, it's not like you need to," Saki replied. "You're probably never gonna have to do maintenance on one. That's what-"

Suddenly, Ai's phone rang. She frantically reached onto the desk and grabbed it. "Hello?"

Saki, Lily, and Junko gasped and smiled. "Is it her?" Lily asked excitedly.

She held up a finger. "Yeah. Can you pass on school today? This is really important." She paused for a moment. "Oh, right. It's the end of March. Even better. We'll be there in an hour. See you then." She flipped the phone shut. "Let's get ready. We've got a long day ahead of us."


	84. The Boot Camp

Maria stopped her bike and turned it off. "Alright, now get off of me."

Sakura released the girl and slowly stepped off the bike. She looked around, confused. "Where is everyone? I thought you said the others would be here."

"They're around the back." She slipped her hands in her pockets and walked into the backyard. "Come on."

"Oh, okay!" She followed the girl into the backyard and stepped around the corner to find the rest of Dorami doing their best to prepare for the upcoming fight.

Saki stood in one corner, slashing repeatedly into a raw chicken. Junko was next to her, closely observing her movements and giving her tips. Ai stood in another corner, taking aim with a nail gun and practicing sharpshooting on another raw chicken a couple meters away. Lily sat in a lawn chair, watching as a human girl closely observed her exposed heart. Each of them donned their regular Dorami uniforms, but Saki, Junko, and Lily had all laid their jackets on one of the other lawn chairs.

Lily looked up. "Ai-chan! Sakura is here!"

Ai lowered her nail gun and turned around. "Ah! Sakura!" She walked over to a nearby table and picked up a backpack that was resting against one of its legs. "Catch!" She tossed it to her.

"H-huh?" She caught it with both hands and stepped back. "Oof!" She opened it and looked inside. "Are these… clothes?"

"Yeah, I figured you needed something you could actually do stuff in. Go inside and change so we can get started."

 _What's wrong with what I'm wearing now?_ She looked down at her school uniform. _Oh, I guess it's not great for a workout…_

The human girl turned around and gasped. "This is Sakura?!" She ran up to her excitedly. "Hi! I'm Harue Yamamoto! I'm excited to study you!"

"Study me…?" she asked shakily, taking another step back.

"Back up, Harue," Maria scolded. "Remember what we talked about."

"Right! No studying her! I remember!" She turned around and ran back over to the child. She knelt down and started slipping on latex gloves.

"Um, excuse me, Maria-san… what did she mean by 'study'?" Sakura asked.

"Harue's been studying them and figuring out how their bodies work. She's got a few screws loose, but at least she's useful." She made her way over to where Ai was. "Now go inside and change! We got a lot of crap to take care of today and not a lot of time!"

She looked down at the bag then walked up onto the deck.

* * *

Sakura stepped into the backyard now wearing a black tank top and grey sweatpants. She found that the tank top was very tight and greatly restricted her breathing, but luckily she had been taught that her breathing wasn't necessary. She stepped off the deck and walked over to the table where Ai and Maria were standing. Before them was a large spread of papers.

Ai looked up. "Sakura! Do those fit well?"

"Um, it's a little tight on top, but it's not that big a deal…" she replied.

"Okay. Good." She held out a sheet of yellow paper. "Read this. It's all our abilities. You should know what you can do now that you're a zombie."

She took the paper and read it. Some of the powers she was familiar with, but others were surprising. "Wait, I can regenerate if I eat?" she asked.

"Yeah. Have you not been eating?"

She looked down at her bullet hole, which looked just as bad as it did on Wednesday. "No… I guess that's why this is still here, then."

Maria winced. "Jeez. You got shot or something?"

"Yeah…"

"Damn, that sucks. We'll get you something to eat once we stop for lunch in a few hours. Speaking of, whaddya want on your pizza?"

A wide smile spread across her face. _They're gonna give me food?! This is great!_ "Just cheese is fine!"

Saki walked up next to Maria and wiped her hand on her leg. "Damn, that stupid slash is so hard to get down…" She looked up at Sakura. "Does she know the plan yet?"

"No," Ai answered. "I'm about to tell her."

"The plan?" Sakura asked.

She nodded. "Yeah. Come over here. I'll explain it to you."

She stepped around the table and stood next to Ai. She looked down at the papers below and noticed that they were all sketches of the parking lot they were supposed to go to tonight.

"Okay, so the main idea is that you, Saki and I are the ones in this main circle right here. Maria, Junko, and Lily will hang back and provide support from the outside. Korosuke will probably have something keeping Tae from hearing you, so she'll blindly attack us until you manage to give her a command. Your job is to figure out how they're controlling her and undo it so you can control her instead. Saki and I will fight her and any other Korosuke members off until then."

"Wait, how do I control her?" she asked.

"You say, like, 'Tae-chan, stop' really loud," Maria explained. "I think she knows 'sic', too."

"Oh, okay! I get it!"

"Now, what might happen is that they'll try to remove you from the whole situation. We don't want that. So Saki and I will be doing our best to make sure you're close to Tae the entire time. There are a lot of contingency plans, so we'll need to go over them all by the time we're done here today."

"Can I just say that it's a huge honor to be working with you, Ai?"

She smiled. "The pleasure's all mine."

"Okay, enough with the semantics!" Saki yelled. "Everyone! Huddle up!"

"Okay!" Lily yelled, climbing out of her chair. "Not you, Harue-chan!" She and Junko quickly made their way over to the rest of the group and formed a circle of interlocked arms on shoulders.

"Alright, guys, listen up," Saki started. "We got twelve hours to prepare; eleven if we wanna eat, which we do. We HAVE to pull this off tonight. So I expect all of you to be giving it your all." She peered around the group. "Maria, you're in charge of teaching Sakura to fight. Remember what I taught you and teach it to her. I want her to have it down by lunch."

 _Wait, she wants me to fight? I thought I would be protected!_

"Bandages, you should, too. You need more practice in hand-to-hand."

 _Oh!_ She turned and looked at Ai as she nodded. _If Ai-chan's doing it with me, then that's okay!_

"Shrimpy, Marshmallow, you two should be figuring out how to support us from the outside and looking up how to do crap. Pickpocketing, tying shoelaces together, whatever. I don't care. Just figure out how you can help tonight. I'm gonna be figuring out this damn zombie fighting thing. Any questions?"

"What about Harue?" Junko asked.

"She'll be spotting my zombie-style. She's got a good eye for that kinda stuff. Any other questions?"

"Um, yes…" Sakura whimpered. "What happens if we don't pull this off?"

There was a brief moment of silence.

"We're gonna pull it off," Maria said.

"Yeah, that's right!" Saki added, picking up on the girl's optimism. "Don't worry about that crap, 'cause as long as everyone gives it their all, we'll pull it off! I wanna see your guts today, guys! Now let's get to work!"

"YEAH!" the five members of Dorami yelled in unison.


	85. The Lunch Break

"Oof!" Ai exclaimed as she hit the ground.

Sakura extended a sweaty hand. "Sorry! Was that too hard?"

She grabbed her hand and let the girl pull her up. "No, don't worry about how hard you hit me. We're zombies, remember? We can take way more than the average person." She glanced at Maria. "How was that?"

"That was good, actually," she replied, somewhat impressed. "But your chambers still suck. You guys like to just throw your legs up. If you wanna make it hurt, you have to bend your leg BEFORE you kick. Aside from that, you're both decent."

"Ai-chan is better, though!" Lily yelled.

She glared at the girl on the deck. "Don't you have something you should be doing right now?"

"Junko-chan is trying to pickpocket me! I'm just trying to keep her from doing it!"

"Oh, pickpocketing, huh? That's cool, I guess."

Sakura's eyes bulged open as she noticed a familiar white-and-blue-haired girl crouched under the table behind Maria. She struggled to keep a straight face as she watched Junko slip her hand into her jacket pocket, remove her bike's key, and slide back under the table.

Ai covered her mouth and started snickering.

"The hell are you laughing for?" She looked around frantically until she finally caught a glance of the girl beneath the table. "The hell are you doing down there?" she asked.

Junko merely smiled and held up the key she had snatched. "I believe this is yours."

She paused and stuck her hand in her pocket. "Oh, god damn it," she laughed. She grabbed her key back and put it in her pocket. "That was good. Don't do it again."

"While your attention was on Lily, I took that from you," she said. "And look." She pointed over to Ai. "The same can be said for them."

"Huh?" Ai looked down to see Lily scampering away. She stuck her hand in her pocket to find that her key was now missing. "What the- seriously?! That was a pants pocket! How did I not feel that?!" She ran after the child.

Maria pointed at her and started cackling. "Who's laughing now?"

Sakura also couldn't help but laugh. _These girls are really fun,_ she thought to herself.

Saki stopped her slashing for a moment and turned around. "The hell are you all standing around for?" she asked. Her fingers on her right were bent backward, perpendicular to the back of her hand. She bent her fingers back to where they were supposed to be with her other hand. "I don't wanna see you guys stop until the pizza's here! If you're tired, get a patch!" She turned back around and started slashing with her left hand. She muttered something incoherent under her breath.

"S-sorry!" she yelled.

"Don't worry. She's just stressed about tonight," Ai assured her as she walked back from where Lily had run off to. "Here. Let's get back at it." She stepped back into a fighting stance and put her hands up.

"Right!" She took a deep breath and did the same.

"Okay, go!" Maria yelled.

Ai bounced on her toes back and forth, while Sakura only very lightly bobbed up and down. They maintained eye contact and started circling each other.

A car engine could be heard pulling into the driveway in front of the house.

Maria gasped. "Pizza's here!" She ran around the corner of the house and disappeared.

Sakura turned. "It is?!" A smile started spreading across her face but soon stopped as Ai's fist collided with the side of her head. "Gyak!" Her head disconnected from her body and flew into the side of the house.

Ai gasped. "Oh my god! Sakura! Are you okay?" She rushed over and picked up her head. She stared into her eyes with great concern.

 _What the…?! My body is… detached…_ She was dazed, but still looked up at her idol. _Ai…_ Despite her pain, she smiled. "I'm okay," she answered. "I looked away for a second. I shouldn't have."

"No, it's my fault for punching you," she sighed. "I was too focused on looking for an opening. I forgot I was fighting you specifically." She carried her head back to her body, which was laying on the ground limply, and twisted it back on. "There."

She slowly sat up, rubbing her head gently. "That was a really good punch, Ai-chan…"

"Thanks." She helped her to her feet. "Let's go sit down."

The two of them walked over to a pair of lawn chairs and took a seat next to one another. They each let out a deep breath of relaxation and sat in silence, basking in the spring sun. Sakura looked over at Ai and smiled. She never thought in her wildest dreams that she'd be learning to fight with Ai Mizuno of all people. She had thought about taking self-defense classes, sure, but learning with her actual hero of all people as a sparring partner? It was still a little shocking, even though they had started several hours prior. Knowing that she was doing it with her made her want to keep trying, regardless of how much it hurt.

Ai noticed she was staring at her and slightly rotated her head toward her. "What?"

She looked back forward, clearly embarrassed. "N-nothing! I just still can't believe it's really you…"

She smiled. "It's really nice to hear you say that."

She slowly looked back over at her. "It is?"

"Yeah." She looked back up at the sky. "To be honest, I don't miss being an idol very often, but it's still a little painful to know that it's all over. Everyone's moved on. You're kind of like… my last fan."

"Oh…"

"If I'd met you while I was alive, I probably wouldn't have thought much of it," she continued, "but now, I really want to see you succeed. Because people like you… people like you are what made me succeed."

A smile slowly spread across her face. _Ai-chan wants me to succeed…? That's… really inspiring…_

Maria walked back around the corner with five pizza boxes in her arms. "Alright, guys! Dig in!" She set the boxes down on the lawn chair next to Sakura.

She gasped and eagerly opened the box on the top. It was a meat lover's pizza. "Oh, this one's got lots of meat on it…"

"Is it a meat lover's or a barbecue?" Ai asked.

"Meat lover's, I think…"

"That one's Saki's, then."

Saki turned around and wiped her hands off on her pants. "Huh? Mine's here?"

"Come get it," Maria replied.

She grinned and jumped over the back of one of the chairs, landing in its seat. She eagerly reached over and took the box off the top of the stack. "Hell yeah! That's what I'm talking about!"

 _Saki-chan is… exciting. A little scary, though…_

Maria opened the next box. "Shrimpy, Marshmallow, this one's you."

"We're sharing one?" Junko asked.

"Well, you both only ate half your damn things last time," she reminded them. "I'm just saving money."

"That's okay!" Lily yelled. She ran up to the chair and picked up the topmost box. "Come on, Junko-chan!" She sat down in a chair and pulled the one next to it closer. She rested the box on the two's shared armrest.

"If you insist," she replied sweetly. She took a seat next to the child.

 _Junko-chan is really nice and she's the one who first stood up for me… I like her. Lily-chan is really cute and funny, but I don't think she really likes me very much… She hasn't really talked to me at all since last night._

Maria opened the next box. "Sakura, this one's yours." She handed it to her.

"Oh, thank you!" She set it down on her lap and opened it. _Finally, food!_ She picked up a piece and practically inhaled it. She moaned in pleasure as she processed the taste. "So good…!"

She opened the second-to-last box. "This one's mine." She picked it up in one hand and picked up the bottom one with the other. She handed it to Ai.

"Thank you."

Finally, she sat down in her seat and smiled. "Been waiting for this all day."

 _Maria-chan is kind of like Saki-chan, but human, and a bit less patient…_ She glanced at Ai. _Ai-chan is the best! She's kind and smart and she makes me want to keep trying! Just like she did when I was alive, but now I'm sitting right next to her!_ She chewed her pizza happily.

"How's the zombie slash coming along?" Maria asked.

Saki groaned. "I can't figure the damn thing out. It LOOKS perfect, but it doesn't follow through. I've tried everything, but it just doesn't work." She lifted a piece of pizza to her mouth and took a bite. "I hate that stupid slash."

"I'm sure you'll figure it out eventually," Junko reassured her. "For now, just relax."

"I'm just worried about if I can't figure it out by tonight."

"Even if you don't," Ai reminded her, "we still have plans in place to accommodate for that. We can still do it without."

Sakura watched the back-and-forth with great interest. She slowly made her way into her pizza, savoring every bite. Even though she could possibly die tonight and she was plenty sore from learning to fight, this day was already shaping up to be the best one she had had in a long time.

"You don't have to figure it out," Maria reminded her. "With three of you there, you can easily take her down. And you only have to get her to listen to Sakura, anyway. It's not like you have to kill her."

Saki sighed. "I guess not."

"You should work on something else, Saki-chan!" Lily suggested. "Like, you should learn how to shoot Ai-chan's nail gun so that if she drops it, you can use it instead!"

"I already know how. I figured it out the day after when I actually saw her using it." She glanced at Sakura. "She probably should, though."

"Oh, it's okay! I used it on Tuesday! I already know how it works."

"Oh, right."

"Once we get closer, I think around 7 PM, we should start going over the contingency plans in more detail," Ai said. "Now that Lily and Junko know how to pickpocket, we should try to accommodate that into our plans."

"We're also working on sleight of hand!" Lily cheered. "Watch this!" She took her key out of her pocket and held it in her hand. In one swift roll of the wrist and fingers, it disappeared.

"Wow!" Sakura exclaimed. "Where did it go?"

"It went down her sleeve," Maria explained. "I could see it."

The child pouted. "Aw, you're no fun, Maria-chan."

"It just means we have to practice more," Junko reminded her. "Soon, I'm sure you'll be able to do it without anyone telling."

"I couldn't tell, Lily-chan!" Sakura smiled.

She glanced at her briefly then looked away. "Thanks, I guess."

 _Yes! She talked to me!_ She enjoyed her victory quietly, taking another bite out of her pizza. She looked around the group and smiled. _They're all such good friends… Even Maria-chan, who isn't even a zombie._ She cocked her head and stared at her. _Isn't that weird, though_ _…?_

Maria noticed the zombie staring at her and turned. "What're you starin' at?" she asked menacingly.

"N-nothing! It's just… isn't it weird to be the only human in a group of zombies?"

She shrugged. "It was weird at first, but I got used to it pretty fast. Honestly, I forget they're zombies half the time." She glanced at Saki. "The only part I'd say is weird is that my best friend is also my mom's best friend from when she was a kid. That's a bit weird."

"Saki-chan is your best friend…?"

She glared at her. "You got a problem with that, Egghead?"

"N-n-no!" She blinked. "Egghead…?"

She rolled her eyes and turned back to the group.

Sakura stared at Saki and Maria for a moment and turned to Ai, who was in the middle of a conversation with Junko. _Best friends…_ Her eyes widened as she realized she knew the answer to a question that had been plaguing her mind for days. _I know what I want to do…!_


	86. The Payoff

Sakura raised her hand. "So, if Misa doesn't use her whip, then Saki-chan will take her, but if she does, then you will?"

Ai nodded. "Right. Since she's a zombie, none of the nails will leave any permanent effects, so it's okay if I hit her. She's the only person, aside from Tae, who I'm willing to actually fire at. Anyone else, I'll use the nail gun for intimidation."

Maria, Sakura, Junko, and Lily sat in lawn chairs across from Ai, who stood at the table lecturing the group on the plans. Saki was frantically slashing into a chicken in a last-ditch effort to bring something unexpected to the table. Harue watched in a creepy euphoria.

"Are you sure she'll be alright if you fire one at her?" Junko asked. "We aren't sure if she has all our powers…" She turned to Harue. "Do you think it would be alright?"

"Oh, probably!" she answered bubbly. "If she weren't a zombie, her body would be long past secondary flaccidity by now! She is beyond dead at this point!"

"So she should be just like us?" Lily asked.

"In theory, yes!"

"But what about in practice?" Junko pushed.

"I don't know! I haven't tested on her!"

Maria pulled her phone out of her pocket and glanced down at it. "Yo, we gotta wrap this up, guys. It's 8:40." She turned to Saki. "You figured the slash out yet?"

Saki lowered her head and banged her fist on the table before her. "Damn it…"

"That's fine," Ai replied. "We'll just do the 'no zombie attacks' plan, then." She looked around at the crew before her. "Does anyone have any questions?"

She was met with silence.

"Okay!" She quickly sorted the sheets of paper into one stack and slipped them back into the binder she had carried them there in. She forced the folder into the backpack along with Sakura's school uniform and put it on her back. "Then we're ready!"

"Alright! Let's form up!" Maria yelled. She was quickly joined by the five zombies in a huddle. "Alright, guys, this is it. Anyone got any final words before we go?"

"Sakura, we're counting on you," Ai said.

"You better pull your weight," Saki growled.

She looked up. "I'll do my best!" she replied confidently. "I think we can do it!"

"Hell yeah, we will!" Maria cheered. "We're gonna go in there, kick Korosuke ass, get Tae back to Shades, and then we'll be out of this whole mess!"

"YEAH!" all six girls yelled in unison.

* * *

The five bikes of Dorami skidded to a stop in the Kagamiyama parking lot. Several dozen meters away was a line of Korosuke members with Misa clearly standing in the middle.

Sakura released Ai and stepped off the bike slowly. She looked at the line and gulped. _We're really doing this…_ She felt a hand on her shoulder and turned to see Ai staring ahead with her. "Ai-chan…?"

"We're gonna do it," she reassured her. "As long as we have each others' backs, we'll be fine."

She stared at her for another moment then nodded. "Right!" _As long as Ai-chan is by my side, we can do this!_

Saki stepped in front of the two girls, turned around, and glared at Ai and Sakura. "Stay close together. Remember the plan."

"Right," Sakura replied, determined.

She turned to Maria. "You know your part."

"Yeah, yeah, just go get this over with."

Finally, she turned back around and walked confidently towards the line of Korosuke members, followed closely by Ai and Sakura. "Yo, Misa! How's it hanging?" she shouted.

Misa glared at her. "Nikaido!" she shouted. She seemed to have had a change of outfit, now sporting longer pants and pink sleeves over her arms.

"You know, that's a pretty good look for you! It works a lot better with the whole zombie thing!"

"I'd say the same, but it's rude to lie."

She crossed her arms smugly as she came to a stop in front of her. "Is that really the best comeback you have?"

"I don't spend my time thinking of witty things to say. I have better things to do."

She laughed. "You never fail to disappoint."

Sakura noticed the line of Korosuke girls was significantly shorter than the twenty members Ai had approximated before. It was more like eight. _Why are there so few?_ She stepped closer to the other two zombies by her side. "Ai-chan, something's wrong…"

"What do you mean?" she whispered back.

"Shouldn't there be more Korosuke members? Where are they all?"

"Listen, can we just get this started already?" Saki sighed. "I wanna get this thing over with."

"Oh, we'll get started soon," Misa assured her. "There's just one thing we have to take care of first."

Sakura gasped as she was grabbed from behind and dragged away from the others. "What?! Ai-chan! Sak-" Her yelling was stopped as a piece of duct tape was slapped over her mouth. "Mmph! Mmph!" Her arms were held behind her back and she was being held by her waist as well. _Where did these girls come from?!_ She struggled to break free.

Ai immediately whipped out her nail gun and pointed it straight at the head of one of the girls who had grabbed her. "Let go of her!"

"What the- attacking during the banter?!" Saki shouted up at Misa. "That's low, even for you!"

"Saki-chan! Watch out!" Lily screamed.

"Huh?!" She turned around just in time to lock eyes with the girl who was currently in the process of swinging a chain toward her and Ai. She raised her arms over her head, but the chain still wrapped itself around the two girls' waists. "Crap!"

Another girl caught the other end of the chain and both of them pulled with all their might. The chain squeezed Ai and Saki against one another, back to back. They each gave one final tug and pulled both girls off their feet.

"Ungh!" "Gah!" The two girls exclaimed in pain. Saki turned her head slightly. "Bandages! Forget the plan! Open fire!"

"I-I can't! I just dropped the gun!" She reached for her nail gun frantically, but it was kicked away by one of the girls holding the chain.

"Damn it! We let our guards down!" She grabbed the chain holding her down and furiously tried to break it. "Let go of us, you fucking cowards!" She yanked on it, but the girl on the end held her balance and her grip.

There was the sound of running behind them.

Saki turned to see Maria sprinting into action. "Maria! What the hell are you doing?!"

"Like hell am I gonna let you idiots just-" Her heroics were cut short as she was tackled from the side by two Korosuke members. "What the hell?! Get offa me!" She shouted as she was placed into an armlock against the ground. "Ow! Ow! Ow! The hell is your problem?!"

 _Maria-chan! No!_

Lily and Junko were petrified. They each looked around as they were encircled by the remaining Korosuke members. "Junko-chan! I'm scared!" Lily whimpered.

"KEEP YOUR HANDS OFF OF THEM!" Saki screamed at the top of her lungs. She tried and failed to free herself with all her might. "DAMN IT, LET ME GO!"

Sakura looked around frantically. In seconds, their entire plan had fallen apart. _No, no, no, no! This is bad! This is really bad!_ She looked at Misa with fear in her eyes.

Misa turned and gave Sakura a smug glare. "You know, Sakura, I didn't think taking you down would be this easy." She slowly walked over and put her hands on her hips. "But, that being said, I'm not quite sure what to do with you. After all, you're not a threat to me anymore."

She smiled nervously beneath the tape. _Maybe she'll let me go?_

"I pity you, really. So I'll tell you this." She held her by the chin. "These Dorami girls are not your friends. You should not be associating yourself with them. It would be wise to leave them behind and never face them again." She snapped her fingers.

She looked around in a panic as the Korosuke girls backed her up towards the edge of the cliff. _What?! What're they doing?! Ai-chan! Saki-chan! Maria-chan! Someone do something!_

She gave her a smile and turned toward the Dorami girls. "And one last thing. It would be even more wise to never face us again, either." She waved her hand. "Toss her."

She gasped through her nose in a panic. _No! No, no, no, no, no!_ She kicked her legs frantically as she was lifted off the ground. "MMMMF!"

"Sakura!" Ai screamed.

 _Ai-chan! Please! I can't-_ Her thought process stopped as the hands holding her back released her and she went soaring through the air. She caught one final glance at the scene before her eyes before she fell into oblivion. The last thing she saw was Ai, screaming while extending her hand toward her.

"Now, where were we?" Misa asked from the parking lot above.

Time seemed to slow down for a moment as she fell from the cliff. She felt the cool spring air whisk through her hair and the feeling of free falling kicked in. _This… feeling… I've felt this before… but…_ She gasped through her nose again. In an instant, she remembered everything she had done and everything she had thought prior to her second truck accident. Before her eyes flashed the imagery of her first show, the morning the girls all woke up, the night she, Ai, and Junko were shot at, the bridge where she lost them for the first time, her meeting with Okoba, her slap from Yuugiri, the child and the arm, the place she lost her own arm, her initiation into Korosuke, her training with Kozue, her final encounter with Saki, her falling from the Karatsu bypass. All the memories came flooding back. _I… I remember… everything…_ She stared up at the Karatsu night sky and fell into the forest below helplessly.


	87. The Redemption

Saki looked up angrily at the zombie strutting toward her. "Damn it, Misa! The second I get out of this stupid thing, I'm gonna beat your ass into the ground!" She tugged on the chain angrily. "Let me go, damn it!"

"Give a rest, Nikaido," Misa replied coyly. "We've been working night and day to come up with strategies to counter the likes of you. We have plans upon plans on how to keep you down."

"What're you gonna do to us, damn it?!" Maria shouted from the ground.

She laughed. "Isn't it obvious? I'm going to make you pay for what you've done. Which one of you carries your money?"

She gave a smug smile. "You think we were dumb enough to bring money here?"

Her smile dropped and she gave a merciless stare. "I guess we'll just have to punish you, then." She uncoiled her whip and cracked it against the ground. "Take their arms off."

"What?!" Saki shrieked. She watched as two Korosuke girls came around to her front and grabbed her hands. "No!" She tried to fight back against the girls' pull, but it was no use. They popped off after a moment, leaving her with two stumps. _Damn it! And just when I thought things were looking up for us!_ She felt Ai shuffling against her back. "Bandages!"

"Good luck getting my arms when they're inside my shirt!" Ai laughed.

"Oh, so you're disabling yourself, then?" Misa asked. "Very well." She swung her whip over her head and cracked it across Ai's exposed face.

"AAAH!" she exclaimed in pain. She quickly covered her face with her hands and breathed sharply through her teeth. "Ow, ow, ow…"

"Bandages!" Saki screamed. She looked up at Misa. "Let her go! I'm the one you should be whipping!"

"Well, why would I do that?" she asked smugly. "That's very heroic of you, but I'm more upset with her than I am with you, really. After all, she's the one who shot the tires." She raised her arm back over her head and lashed her whip again.

Ai winced in pain as the whip crossed her hands. She continued to breathe sharply through her teeth, attempting to ease the pain.

 _Damn it, I've gotta do something!_ Saki wiggled aggressively, but without her arms, she couldn't do anything to escape her prison. _No, damn it! I'm not gonna give up!_ She gritted her teeth. "Bandages, we can still do this! Try standing up! We can kick them down!"

"Haven't you realized yet that it's pointless, Nikaido?!" Misa yelled. "Look around! Maria's not going to help you this time. Junko and Lily aren't going to do anything, either. This time, you're backed into a corner and there's nothing you can do!"

She lowered her head in shame. She knew she was right. There was nothing she could do. "Ai… I'm sorry… if I'd just been able to do the damn slash…"

"It's okay…" she replied tearfully. "I knew this was… a possibility." She winced as the whip once again cracked against her hands.

She shook her head. "But, damn it, a zombie slash could have cut through this chain…"

"It's not your fault… To be honest, I knew from the start you wouldn't be able to do it, I just didn't say anything- AH!" The whip once again cracked against the back of her hands.

"What? Why not?"

"I didn't want to upset you…" she replied chokingly.

"The hell does that mean…?"

"You've been working really hard to get there… and I didn't want to hurt your feelings again by insulting something you're passionate about… I care about you, Saki… We all do."

 _I… what…? Seriously? I don't get it… Why?_

"Oh, how sweet is that?" Misa asked cutely. "Now please, be quiet and accept your punishment." She raised her arm above her head and swung her whip again, but was stopped mid-swing as it became taut. "What the…" She slowly turned around to find that a familiar figure had the end of her whip in her hand. "You…!"

Ai peeked through her fingers towards the edge of the parking lot and gasped. "Sakura!" she yelled tearfully.

 _Sakura?! She came back?!_ She turned her head and looked up to find the girl standing before Misa. _For real?!_

"I'm not gonna let you hurt her! I'm not gonna let you hurt any of them!" Sakura yelled.

Misa chuckled. "And why not? You know they don't care about you."

"That's not true! And even if it was, I wouldn't care! I understand now why they fought so hard against me when I was trying to break them apart! Saki-chan defended them from me time and time again; not just because she wanted to be a biker, but also because she cared about them!" She gritted her teeth and scowled. "And you know what?! So do I!"

Saki stared up at her in disbelief. _She… really is different._

Misa gritted her teeth. "Then you and I still have problems."

Sakura immediately released the whip and rushed in with a swift cross to her face, followed by a left hook then a right uppercut. She finished her combo with a side kick to the zombie's exposed gut. She grunted as she landed back on the ground and pushed her hair out of the way of her eyes.

She took a few steps back and winced in pain. "No one interfere, now. This is our fight." She looked back up and dropped her whip. She cracked her knuckles and lowered herself into a similar stance. "You shouldn't have come back for them."

"They came back for me!" she replied.

"They came because they wanted to kill you."

"And they were right to! But they gave me a second chance and I'm not gonna mess it up!"

She gritted her teeth and rushed forward, throwing a punch that narrowly missed. She breathed sharply through her teeth and delivered a hook into the side of her head.

She let her head tilt to the side in response and used the momentum she gained coming back to elbow her opponent in the jaw.

"Hell yeah! Give 'er hell, Sakura!" Saki cheered.

"Nguh!" Her jaw came loose for a moment and she lost the ability to close her mouth. She quickly reached up and snapped it back into place before grabbing Sakura by the hair and dragging her to the side, sending her stumbling backwards.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" She waved her arms frantically as she attempted to regain her balance, but she ended up tripping over the grounded Ai and Saki. "Ah! Sorry!" she yelled as she fell to the ground.

"You've got a lot of nerve coming back up here, Sakura!" Misa yelled. "Facing me when you had Tae was reasonable, but facing me alone is the dumbest mistake you've ever made!"

She slowly stood up, rubbing her arm. "You're right. I never succeed when I do things alone." She turned to one of the girls holding the chain and swiftly punched her in the throat. She grabbed the chain out of her hands and tossed it to the ground. "But I'm not alone anymore!"

Saki grinned. _Damn, that was smooth and smart!_ She felt the chain loosen as Ai pushed it apart. She stood up and shook it off of her. "Nice thinking, Egghead!"

Ai quickly jumped to her feet and grabbed her nail gun off the ground. She aimed it at the two girls atop Maria. "Let her go!"

They each raised their hands and stepped back, leaving Maria to stand up and shake herself off. "Damn, that hurt…" She turned to the circle surrounding Junko and Lily. "Bandages! Let's go!"

"Right!" She ran over to the circle with Maria.

Misa gritted her teeth. "Of course." She stepped back into a stance. "I think I can take you if you don't have any arms."

Saki laughed. "We used to do kick-only exercises all the time! You think I don't know how to use these babies?"

"It's worth a shot." She rushed forward and lifted up her leg to kick the girl in the chest.

She blocked the kick with her knee and quickly jumped into a rolling sobat, hitting her in the ribcage.

Misa took a step back and clutched her chest in pain before rushing back forward and doing a horizontal swipe at Saki's neck.

She swiftly ducked and saw an opportunity. She bent down on one leg and pushed off with the other, resulting in a circular sweep that took her feet out from under her.

"Huaah!" she exclaimed as she fell to the ground.

The moment Misa hit the concrete, Sakura reattached Saki's left arm and handed her her right.

"All right! That's how it's done!" She twisted her right arm back on and reached into her pocket. She produced a key and handed it to Sakura. "Take my bike and get outta here. Tell Maria to go to regroup point G. I'll handle this."

She took the key hesitantly. "What about you?"

"I'll be fine. Just go." She grinned. "I've been itching for a proper rematch, anyways."

She nodded and ran over to the others.

Misa climbed to her feet and scowled. "You really shouldn't have done that."

Saki smirked. "Then make me regret it."


	88. The Rematch

The two zombies stood facing each other for a long moment. The five Dorami bikes had long since left the premises, leaving Saki behind to settle the feud between her and Misa.

Saki smirked and crossed her arms. "You gonna hit me or not?"

"I'm thinking of how to best make a mess of your pretty little face," Misa answered.

She laughed. "Are you flirting with me?"

"Don't get so full of yourself."

"Hey, you're the one who said it." She looked around as all the present members of Korosuke formed a circle around her and once again took out their weapons. "You planning to send your crew after me again with their little toys?"

"Big talk for someone whose number two uses a nail gun."

"The only number two I see is you."

She squinted. "Was that just-"

"Yeah, that was a poop joke! I just called you a shit, bitch! What're ya gonna do about it?!" she taunted.

She cracked her knuckles and rolled her neck, popping an innumerable number of crinks. "I'm going to enjoy this."

She stepped back into a stance and put her hands up. "I think I will more."

Misa rushed forward with a side kick which Saki slapped down just in time to deliver her own to her abdomen, just as she had in the first fight. This time, however, the Korosuke girl managed to keep standing and grabbed onto her leg with both hands. She started spinning in a circle.

"What the hell?!" Saki shouted as she struggled to hop on one foot fast enough to keep up. _Damn it, she's gonna knock me over at this rate…! I gotta do something!_ She leaned forward and attempted to do the zombie slash at Misa's arm. It didn't work. _Of course not, damn it._ Instead, she grabbed her arm and jumped while pulling herself and bending her captive knee, forcing Misa to carry her by her leg. She was quickly dropped and she rolled away from the zombie above her. She climbed back up to her feet several meters away and laughed. "What the hell was that?"

"I grabbed your leg and I spun you around. I'm more surprised by the method you used to escape."

She smirked. "Do you even know how to fight? You were better with the whip."

"My fists are more effective against zombies."

"Then why don't you use them?"

"I will. If you think I'm not prepared to fight you, then you've got another-"

"Hey. Hold on a second."

She glared at her angrily. "What?"

"Your fly is down."

"Huh?" She looked down at her pants.

In the moment Misa was distracted, Saki rushed in and delivered a kick to the girl's ribcage. "Made you look!"

She took a few steps back and grabbed her chest once again. "That was a dirty trick." She breathed angrily and heavily through gritted teeth.

"No more dirty than what you pulled earlier. Now we're even."

"We're not even until I get the pleasure of pummeling you into the concrete."

She smirked. "Then you'll never be cool with me." She ran toward the zombie.

Misa gritted her teeth and also started running toward her. She threw a punch but had it blocked. She saw a punch coming and blocked it herself. She went for a cross and Saki blocked it with her hand. She saw a hook coming and moved her head out of the way to accommodate. This back and forth continued for a few seconds before Saki finally landed a hook on Misa's cheek. She flinched in pain and closed her eyes. As a result, she failed to see the next punch coming, which was a cross going straight for her nose. This was enough to knock her off her feet onto the ground.

She laughed. "You can't keep up, bitch! You Korosuke bitches never know when to quit."

Misa looked up at her and scowled. "At least I have someone to back me up when I'm down." She snapped her fingers and let out a smirk as the circle of Korosuke girls slowly closed in on them.

She turned around and glared at the girls before her. "Are you guys really stupid enough to challenge me again? I thought you learned your lesson the first time."

A few girls stopped where they were and stepped back, but the rest filled the gaps and continued marching on.

She laughed. "Looks like some of your crew can't handle me, Misa."

She glared at them. "And they'll get their punishment later. The rest of you, RUSH HER!"

Saki put her hands up and watched as a dozen or so girls ran up to her, weapons bared. She quickly started throwing out attacks, with punches, kicks, elbows, and knees flying in every cardinal direction. She really wasn't paying attention to how she was attacking each girl, instead just throwing out moves at random and hoping they worked. Before long, the circle of girls collapsed at her feet; some unconscious, some just dazed. _That worked? Jeez, these girls are even worse at this than they used to be._ She stood back up at her full height and sighed a breath of excitement. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw a girl with a chain extending it toward her. "Oh, you're the one who trapped us!" She ignored the chain and just ran straight for her, tackling her to the ground. She sat up and started punching the girl in the face repeatedly, quickly bruising her. "This is for Bandages, damn it!" Once she felt she had done enough, she stood up and turned around to spot a familiar figure.

"I'm gonna KILL YOU!" the pickaxe girl screamed. She ran right at her, holding her weapon over her head.

"I'm already dead, idiot!" Saki replied, stepping to the side and pulling the pickaxe from her hands. She chucked it over the edge of the cliff. "Seriously, you need to get a better weapon, girl. A pickaxe just doesn't work."

She stared at her in disbelief. "What's your problem?!" She swung her fist at her head angrily but was dismayed when she caught her hand and twisted it so she bent backwards. "Unnhgh!"

"Yeah, you're pretty pathetic. Maybe that pickaxe suits you, actually." She kicked the girl in the back of the knee, sending her falling to the ground. She looked up and laughed. _Man, this is great! Reiko would've loved this!_ Her grin fell as she locked eyes with two girls, one with a tire iron and the other with a baseball bat. "Oh, you. You're the ones who tackled Maria. You're gonna pay for that one." She rushed forward and jumped into a dropkick, planting a foot on each of their exposed stomachs. She fell to the ground with them and scrambled to her feet just in time to get smacked in the side of the head with a shovel. She flew to the ground and crashed against the concrete. "Ohh…" she moaned as an aching pain spread throughout her skull.

"That's what you get for shooting out our tires!" the girl with the shovel yelled.

She stood up and slowly rubbed her head. _Damn, that hurt!_ She turned around and glared at the girl. "You know I'm gonna really hurt you now, right?"

She stepped into a stance and gripped her shovel tightly. "I can take anything you can throw at me!" She stared at her angrily.

She grinned. "Alright, then." She ran forward and stepped on the stomach of one of the two girls on the ground, using it as a platform off which she could jump. Thanks to her zombie abilities, she went soaring into the air and flipped upside down. _WOOHOO! I LOVE BEING A ZOMBIE!_ As she flew over the shovel girl, she grabbed her by the arm with two hands. When she landed, she hunkered over, arched her back, and pulled her arm, sending the girl tumbling over her shoulders and into the ground. The shovel fell against the face of the girl she hadn't stepped on. She breathed heavily as massive amounts of adrenaline coursed through her body. She looked around at the crowd of girls and noticed that the only ones remaining were the ones who had refused to fight her. "Oh, damn, really? That's it? That was a lot faster than last time. Not that I'm complaining, though." She turned and glared at Misa, who was now back on her feet staring at her in awe. "Alright, I beat up your goons AGAIN. Is this over yet?"

She closed her mouth and recomposed herself, turning her face into a scowl. "Why would this be over? I haven't gotten enough hits in."

She smirked. _I saw you right there. You ain't slick._ "Alright, but let's wrap this up quick. I gotta get back to my crew."

"You aren't done until I say you are," she snarled.

"Yeah, I don't need your permission to leave, bitch. Since when am I taking orders from you?"

"HUOOOOOOAH!" Misa shouted as she launched forward with a cross to her forehead. To her dismay, she was quickly blocked by Saki's right hand.

She lifted up her boot and delivered a swift kick to the lungs. It was her go-to move for knocking the wind out of someone, and here it worked like a charm.

"Nngh!" She dropped to her knees as she struggled to catch her breath.

 _Yeah, I'm gonna end this right now._ Saki ran up to one of the girls who refused to attack her. "Gimme this." She yanked the crowbar out of her hands, ran back to where Misa was, and used her momentum to swing the crowbar into the left side of her head. "Night, bitch!" It connected with a solid _thunk._

Misa recoiled and clenched her eyes shut, but, after a moment, reopened her eyes, brought a hand up to her skull where the crowbar had hit, and felt the new indent in the side of her head. "What the… I'm okay?"

She raised an eyebrow. _What the… she's okay?_ She quickly swung the crowbar again and it connected with the other side of her head and left an even more satisfying _thunk_. _Okay, that one should TOTALLY knock her out!_

It did not knock her out. She lifted her other hand to the other side of her skull and grinned. "Oh, I see."

"What the hell?! Why are you still awake?!" She once again swung the crowbar at the left side of her head, but was dismayed when she caught it. She realized why her attacks had no effect and gasped. _Oh, crap._

She laughed as she rose back up to her feet. "Isn't it obvious, Saki? I'm a zombie, too. I have all your powers." She quickly pulled her by the crowbar and delivered a quick jab to the face, sending her stumbling backwards. She followed up with a round kick into a butterfly kick that knocked the girl in the side of the head with her platform boot. "I've been working hard for this fight. I'm not going to let you end it like THAT."

Saki smirked as she raised her hands up to block the flurry of kicks Misa was now throwing at her. "Alright, I gotta admit, I underestimated you, Misa. You really caught me by surprise."

"You underestimate us every time," she replied, failing to land a crescent kick on the girl's head. "You make it out by the skin of your teeth. But not this time." Once she landed her foot on the ground, she leaned forward and punched the girl before her in the throat.

She coughed in response. _Crap, I can't be breathing at a time like this! Cut it out!_ She immediately let all the air spill out her lungs and didn't bother to refill them. She took a step back and attempted to read the next attack. _Oh, yeah, you're full of openings, girl._ The second Misa raised her leg for another kick, she rushed forward and gave an upset jab to the hip she was using to kick.

Her leg dropped immediately as her muscles refused to cooperate. "No!" She brought her arms into her chest and prepared to block a flurry of punches, but found that none came. She looked up to see Saki staring smugly at her with her hands on her hips. "What's that look for?"

"Your stance is still way too weak." She rushed forward and clotheslined her, slipping her leg behind Misa's and sending her tumbling to the ground.

"Nngh!" She crashed into the ground hard and had started to get up when a sudden boot was planted on her shoulder and pinned her to the ground. She looked up at Saki and scowled.

"You know what's really funny about you being a zombie?"

"What?"

"You got all my weaknesses, too." She leaned down and grabbed the back of her head with both hands. She pushed and pulled at the same time and Misa's head popped off her shoulders without much effort.

"What the…?! No way!" Her eyes stared up at her angrily. "Nikaido, put me down this instant!"

She held her by her hair and walked calmly over to the cliff where she had died. She dangled her disembodied head over the edge. "What's funny about me always underestimating you is that you always overestimate yourself, Misa. Is that why you didn't send Tae after me? Now would have been a great time."

She gritted her teeth. "We have better things to use her for than our squabbles with the likes of you."

"Where is she?"

She laughed. "Like I'd tell you!"

"She's too dangerous to use on regular people. You can't control her."

"Neither can you."

"I'm not trying to. I'm just trying to get her back to the person who can. You have any idea how much crap you're gonna be in if Shades finds out about you? Imagine what he'll do when he finds out you're using the feral zombie to do your dirty work. Just tell me where she is."

She stared at her silently.

"You know, if you aren't gonna tell me anything, I'm just gonna drop you."

"Then drop me, you coward."

"Alright, seeya." She called her bluff and swung her head over the railing and let it fall into the foliage below.

"N-no way! You actually dropped me?! I'll get you, Nikaido!" she shouted, her voice fading into silence as she landed in a bush.

 _Knew she was bluffing._ Saki sighed happily. "Damn, that was great…" She turned around and walked up to one of the girls who had refused to hit her. "Gimme your key."

The girl reached into her pocket and produced a small key. "It's that one," she pointed. At the end of her finger was a Korosuke bike across the parking lot.

 _This chick is so afraid of me it's funny._ She smirked and snatched the key. "Cool. I'll see you around." She calmly made her way over to the bike, sat down, turned it on, and drove out of the lot at full speed. She raised a hand up to the side of her head and felt the new deformity in her skull. She winced as touching it sent a sharp pain into her cranium. _Damn it, I can't keep getting hurt like this. Hope it's not too obvious._


	89. The Recruit

The five bikes pulled up in a mostly empty parking lot and rolled to a stop. It was the Gooday Karatsu parking lot, the same one where Lily had first joined Dorami at.

Sakura turned off the bike, set down the kickstand, and sat back in its seat. _Wow…_ she thought to herself. _I really did that…_ She let out a sigh of relief and looked up at the sky. _That was incredible…_ She groaned as the adrenaline of the situation wore off and she felt the pain she had neglected to feel before. She now noticed that there was a large number of scrapes on her unbandaged arm and exposed shoulders where she had fallen through the trees as well as a slight twinge in her back. She brought her hand down to her back and rubbed it softly. _Ow…_

"Sakura!" Ai called.

She twisted her head just in time to see Ai wrap her arms around her and the seat, rocking the bike and pinning her arms to her sides. "A-Ai-chan?!"

"You did it!" she cheered. "I'm so proud of you!" She broke out of the hug and put her hands on her shoulders. "How do you feel?"

"I feel good," she replied. A smile slowly spread across her face. "Actually, no, I feel great!"

"I'm so glad!" She wrapped her arms around her again and this time felt the girl return the favor.

"Ai-chan, are we friends?"

She stifled a laugh. "What're you talking about? Of course we are."

She squeezed her idol tightly despite the pain she felt in her arms from doing so. Tears started forming at the corners of her eyes and she started breathing heavy, rapid breaths. She sniffled.

"Are you… crying?"

"I'm just so happy…" she whispered. "Thank you so much…"

She smiled. "Anything for a friend."

She felt tears stream down her face and catch themselves on the corners of her smiling mouth. She buried her face into Ai's shoulder and wept.

She patted her back softly. "Let it all out. I'm here for you."

She gripped Ai's jacket and shook her head. "I don't deserve you, Ai-chan…"

She shook her head in response. "No, I don't deserve you."

The hug held for a long moment until Sakura eventually released it. Ai stepped back to reveal a red-faced zombie with puffy yet sunken eyes.

Sakura wiped one last tear from her eye and looked up at the idol before her. "Ai-chan, can I tell you something?"

"Anything."

She took a deep breath. "When Misa threw me off the cliff back there, all my memories of what I did before I woke up two days ago… they all came back. I remember everything."

Her eyebrows shot up. "Oh…"

She looked down. "I'm really, really sorry about what I did. I… I didn't realize what I was doing was wrong until it was too late. It was selfish and short-sighted and stupid… I want to apologize to everyone again for real now that I remember it, but… I'm scared that if I tell them I remember, they'll hate me… I really want to be friends with all of them, because they're all super nice and interesting people, and I want to be honest with them, but I'm afraid of how they'll react to it…"

She smiled and put her hand back on her shoulder. "I'm sure they'll understand. You should have heard what they were saying about you while you were standing over with Saki."

She looked up. "What were they saying…?"

She pointed behind her. "Ask for yourself."

Sakura turned around to find Maria, Lily, and Junko standing before her. "E-everyone!" she stuttered out. "How long have you been standing there?"

"Since you started crying," Maria answered.

She looked at each of them. "Everyone… I'm sorry… There's no excuse for what I did." She lowered her head again. "I really feel bad about it… and I wish I'd never done it."

Lily walked up to her and wrapped her arms around her. "It's okay, Sakura-chan. I forgive you."

She looked up. "R-really…?"

She nodded. "Yeah. After you saved Saki-chan and Ai-chan and Maria-chan, I knew you were good now. And if you did that with your memories, then you're even more good!"

"How the hell could I stay mad at you after a stunt like that?" Maria snickered. "You're not the same chick whose head I punched off three days ago. You, like, switched teams!"

"I told you she would earn your trust," Junko smiled. "I'm glad you remember, Sakura-san."

She cocked her head. "You are…?"

"Well, as Ai is always saying, mistakes and failures aren't necessarily a bad thing. They are what help you grow into the best version of you."

A smile spread across her face. "J-Junko-chan… Lily-chan… Maria-chan…" she choked.

"Aw, jeez, are you about to start crying again?" Maria sighed.

"Yeah…" she answered, with tears already forming in her eyes.

Ai laughed and hugged her from behind, rocking her forward. "We're al-"

"OW!" Sakura shrieked. She felt Ai's and Lily's arms quickly fly off of her. "My back…" she groaned.

"Oh, sorry! Are you okay?!"

"I hurt my back when I fell," she elaborated.

"Do you need anything? An ice pack or something?"

"Um, I think I'm okay for right now as long as I don't move it that much. Just please be careful, Ai-chan," she replied politely. She gasped. "Wait, you got hurt, too! Are your hands okay?" She turned around to look at her.

"Actually, my hands are fine for the most part. I've got these gloves on, and they really softened the blow." She held up her hands, which were each housed in a fingerless glove. "The only part that really hurts is my face."

"Your face…?" She gasped as she noticed a thick, dark bruise that wasn't there before.

She sighed. "Yeah, she managed to get me right under my left eye when I wasn't expecting it."

Junko gasped. "Are you okay?" She ran around the bike and put her hands on the sides of Ai's head, inspecting her cheek and the dark, thick line spanning from the edge of her hair to the bridge of her nose.. "Oh, it's certainly darker than the rest of the skin…"

"Is it bad?" She raised her hand up to her cheek and winced as she touched it. "It hurts."

"Don't touch it, just let it heal." She turned to Maria. "Maria-san, can you look up how long it takes for a whip mark to heal?"

"Already on it," she answered. "It's probably gonna be faster for you, though. Saki's stab hole healed in, like, three days without any stitches or anything."

"Saki-chan got stabbed?" Sakura asked.

"Yeah, she got hurt fighting Korosuke on Sunday after they used a bait bike to trap her."

"Oh, Misa told me about that!" She paused. "Wait, she's not gonna get stabbed again tonight, is she?"

"Who knows?" Ai shrugged. "I'm sure she'll be fine either way."

"Google says six weeks," Maria answered. "So, for you, who knows? Probably less."

"Look up how long a stab wound takes to heal for reference," she suggested.

"Okay." She looked back down and started typing on her phone again.

"How soon will she be back?" Sakura asked.

"Who knows?" Ai shrugged. "She could be a couple more minutes or-"

Lily gasped. "There she is!"

The group all turned to see a figure on a black Korosuke bike speeding toward them. Saki skidded to a stop and jumped off the bike. "You guys! That was the most AWESOME fight!"

"Are you okay?" Sakura asked, rising to her feet.

"I'm fine!" she shouted. "Well, except for… this." She pushed her hair on the left side of her head down, revealing that it went way further into her skull than it should. "Got hit with a shovel pretty hard."

"Gross," Lily muttered under her breath.

"But yeah! We just kicked Korosuke ass!"

"Where's Tae?" Ai asked. "Did they use her on you?"

"Huh? Nah. Misa said they were using her for something else. She wouldn't tell me where she was hiding her, so I threw her head off the cliff."

"What?! We have to get her back!" Sakura yelled.

She squinted. "The hell are you talking about? No we don't. She has Korosuke to do that for her."

"No, I mean Tae-chan! They can't use her for that! We have to get her back to…" Her voice trailed off as she remembered what she had learned about during her time as an idol hunter. _Koutarou-san…_

"Sakura? You okay?" Maria asked.

She turned around in a panic. "I-I don't know who Koutarou-san is!"

"What? You don't remember?"

"That's not what I mean! I mean Koutarou Tatsumi is a fake name! He's lying to us about something! I overheard him back when I first started working with Okoba-san!"

"That's not exactly surprising," Ai replied. "He was sketchy from the moment we woke up."

"But why would he use a fake name? And Yuugiri-san knows, too, so…" She put her hand to her forehead. "I have so many questions…"

"There is much we don't know about him…" Junko conceded. "I suppose that may be rather important when you're living with him."

"Maybe you shouldn't," Ai suggested. "We have a tent you can borrow."

Saki looked at the group before her, confused. "What? What the hell is going on? She remembers working with Okoba?"

"Sakura-chan got her memory back when she fell off the cliff!" Lily informed her.

She raised an eyebrow. "Seriously?"

Sakura nodded. "Yeah. B-but, I still feel the same way I did yesterday!" She stared sadly into the zombie's eyes. "Saki-chan… I really am sorry about everything I did… I was being selfish and short-sighted and stupid. I really don't want to be an idol anymore. Everything I said to Misa back there I meant from the bottom of my heart. I just hope that… I'm not the worst person you've ever met anymore."

She paused for a moment then stepped forward. "You may not be pathetic or spineless anymore, but you're still stupid."

She blinked. "Huh?"

She smiled and wrapped her arm around her shoulders. "Damn it girl, your egghead ass climbed back up a cliff to fight for Dorami! You think I didn't notice you'd changed? It's pretty damn obvious."

"Egghead…? W-wait, so you trust me?"

"You kidding me? I just gave you the key to my bike! You got guts, girl! Mad respect for that." She held out her hand. "Speaking of, give it back."

"Oh, it's still in there…" She reached down, pulled the key out, and handed it to Saki. "So, wait, you really aren't mad about everything I did?"

"Nah. You really saved our asses back there. That totally makes up for all that. Besides, we're gonna need you to get Tae back. Why'd you think I took that?" she asked, pointing to the Korosuke bike.

She gasped. "R-really?! You thought that far ahead? That's amazing!"

"Well, no, not really. I just wanted to fight Misa again. But here." She placed a small black key in her hand.

She gasped. "Does this mean I'm in Dorami, Saki-chan?"

"Huh? No… Do you want to be?"

"H-huh? W-well, um…" She reached across her chest and grabbed her arm in a show of bashfulness. "I mean… if you guys really don't mind having me around… Like I said before, I'd really like to get to know you all, and I think joining Dorami is the best way to do that… Plus, I already know how to ride a bike. I think it could be a good way to spend my life… er, afterlife."

Ai immediately hugged her from behind. "Yes, Sakura! Of course!"

"W-wait, doesn't Maria-chan decide?" she asked. "She's the boss!"

"Yeah, I do!" Maria answered. "But damn it, Sakura! You got guts! Like hell am I saying no to that!"

"She certainly has what it takes," Junko added.

"Yeah!" Lily cheered.

Saki smiled. "Welcome to Dorami, Egghead."

"You really mean it?" Sakura asked excitedly.

"Hell yeah, I do! You got guts, girl! Forget what you did before! I'd be proud to have you on my team!"

She could hardly contain her excitement. She looked around happily. "Everyone…!" She was quickly surrounded by the rest of Dorami in a massive group hug. "I promise I'll make you proud!"

"Hell yeah! It's a good thing I had Sayama order some extra jackets in case we recruited anyone!" Maria exclaimed.

"You're gonna love it!" Ai assured her.

"It will certainly grow on you," Junko added.

"We're gonna need to buy more spray paint," Saki muttered under her breath.

"I'm so excited, Sakura-chan!" Lily cheered.

Sakura relished in the group hug for a few more moments until it fell apart. "So, um, what happens now?"

"You know what? Let's worry about all the new member crap tomorrow," Saki replied. "I really wanna go home and take a shower." She walked over to her bike and sat down.

"Sakura, do you want the tent?" Ai asked. "I don't have it with me, but we can go home and grab it."

"Well, I'm not totally sure about leaving yet… When I tried to leave Koutarou-san yesterday, he seemed like he really wanted me to stay for some reason… I think we should try to get him to answer our questions first before we rush into something like that. There's no harm in trying, right?"

She scratched her head. "Are you sure?"

She nodded. "Yeah. I don't want to just leave him, but I also want to know who he is and why he does what he does."

"I'd like to ask some questions, too," Junko piped up.

"You, too, Junko-chan?"

"Yes…" she replied quietly. "I don't like that he's so mysterious…"

Saki groaned. "If you guys wanna ask him crap, go ahead. I wanna go home."

"Actually, I kinda wanna figure out what's with him, too," Maria said. "Maybe we should all go."

"I don't wanna go back there!" Lily yelled. "He's scary!"

Ai sighed. "I guess if we're going to be getting Tae back for him, we should at least know what's going on in his head."

"You four can go," Saki shrugged, "but me and Shrimpy are gonna go home."

"Okay," Junko replied. "Ai and I will meet you back at the house, then."

"Wait, what if he hurts you?!" Lily cried. "I don't want him to do something to you!"

"I'm sure he won't."

"Besides, with four of us there," Ai assured her, "we can easily stop anything he tries to do that we don't want."

Lily looked up at them. "Just be careful, okay?"

Sakura bent down to be on the child's level and put a hand on her shoulder. "You don't have to worry about us, Lily-chan. I'm sure it'll be fine."

She smiled and nodded. "Okay." She ran over to her bike and climbed on. "Let's go, Saki-chan! Bye, everyone! See you tomorrow!" she waved.

The four girls watched as the two zombies rode out of the lot and headed south. Ai sighed and turned to the others. "Alright. Let's get this over with."


	90. The Accidental Confession

The four bikes pulled up outside the gates of the mansion. Their riders rolled them into the park across the street and looked up at the mansion. "I really never thought I'd be coming back here," Junko said quietly.

"We're only here to get information," Ai reminded her. "It's not like we're going back to living here."

"I know, but it's still very strange…"

The girls crossed the street and pushed opened the gate. They stepped through and were soon greeted by a vicious-looking blue toy poodle. It drooled at the mouth and sniffed Maria menacingly.

She screamed. "Get that thing away from me!"

"Oh, don't worry! He doesn't bite!" Sakura assured her.

"Can a bite from a zombie dog convert a human…?" Junko pondered aloud.

"It's probably better that we don't test that," Ai said. "Maria, put your hands above your head."

She quickly did as she was told and the dog soon moved on to smell the other girls. "Let's get inside," she said hastily. She ran up the steps and knocked on the door. She was quickly joined by the others. She put her hands behind her head like Saki usually did, trying and failing to hide her fear of the dog.

The door opened and another zombie greeted them. "Sakura-han, welcome home. Ai-han, Junko-han, Maria-han. It is nice to see you as well."

"Hello again, Yuugiri-san," Junko greeted. "Is Koutarou home?"

"Why, yes. Please come in." She backed away from the door and stepped out of the genkan into the hallway and smiled warmly. "How are you all doing? I presume the Korosuke conflict ended well?"

"Well, we aren't totally sure where Tae is," Maria explained as she quickly shut the door behind her, locking the dog out. "But other than that, we kicked their asses."

"That's wonderful to hear."

Sakura slipped off her shoes. "Yuugiri-san, we actually came here because we have some questions for you and Koutarou-san…"

"Oh? What kind of questions?"

"Oh, well, um…" She turned to Ai for help.

"Easy questions," she answered. "You should have no problem answering them." She quickly threw off her boots, not bothering to untie them.

"Very well. Please follow me whenever you're ready." She walked a small distance down a hall to the right and knocked on one of the doors. "Koutarou-han, you have some guests here to see you."

"Come in."

She opened the door and stepped inside. "They'll be just another moment." She left the door open behind her.

Sakura gulped. _This is the moment I've been waiting for…_ _The moment when I put my foot down and see who he really is!_ She stepped into the hallway and turned around, motioning for her new crew members to follow her.

"Gimme a second, damn it…" Maria muttered as she threw off her boots. "Jeez, this place is even creepier on the inside."

"You should see the basement," Ai replied, standing up next to Sakura. "You ready?"

She nodded. "I think so." She turned back around. "Junko-chan?"

"S-sorry!" she apologized, slipping out of her last boot. "I like to take the time to untie them…"

"It's okay. We'll wait for you."

Once all four girls were ready, they marched forward into Koutarou's office together.

Koutarou was seated on the couch across from the door. Before him was a clear table, but he had clearly hastily thrown everything on it underneath. There was a bottle of whisky and multiple shot glasses on the rug below. He stared at them stoically. "What is it?"

"Um, good evening, Koutarou-san," Sakura replied weakly. "We were wondering if you'd be willing to answer a few questions for us…?"

"Oh, yeah, yeah, sure, go ahead," he replied cheekily. A childish grin spread across his face.

Ai scoffed and rolled her eyes.

"Um, you said Koutarou Tatsumi wasn't your real name before," Sakura continued.

His grin slid off his face and he raised an eyebrow. "You remember that?"

"W-well, tonight, I got thrown off a cliff, and all my memories came back. B-but that's not important! Nothing's changed! Who are you?" she interrogated.

He leaned forward in his chair. "Why do you need to know?"

"Why shouldn't I? If you want me to be living here, you might as well tell me!"

"You can live here just fine without knowing."

"Are you stupid? How can I sleep in your house if I can't trust you? We have so many questions, and unless you answer all of them, then we're leaving! And we're not coming back!"

He stared at her silently for a moment.

"Are you going to tell her or not?" Ai asked.

He shook his head. "Would you settle for knowing why I can't tell you?"

Sakura cocked her head. "What?"

"There's a good reason I can't tell you my real name. Is knowing that enough?"

She glanced at the girls next to her. "Is it?"

"Don't ask me," Maria replied. "I'm just here for the show."

Ai shrugged. "I mean, it's better than knowing nothing."

Junko nodded. "I'd ask. We can always ask him to elaborate if the answer isn't satisfying."

Sakura looked back at him. "Okay. Why can't you tell us?"

"Because you would recognize the name."

"Who would?"

"You, Sakura."

"Huh? Me? I knew you when I was alive?"

He nodded. "You did."

 _Someone… from when I was alive…?_ Her mouth slowly fell open in shock. _Why… why won't he tell me who he is?_

"That explains a lot, actually…" Junko muttered.

"It does?" Sakura asked.

"Well, I was wondering why you were the only one of us who wasn't… well, successful… when they were alive. You were just a regular girl, right?"

"Right…"

"So, when making a zombie idol group, he likely chose you as one of the zombies not because you were famous or successful, but rather because he knew you."

She put her hand to her chin. "You have a point…"

"So, wait, what are you in relation to her?" Ai asked. "Her brother? A classmate? A neighbor?"

"I told you why I couldn't tell you," he answered. "I'm not going to tell you anything more."

"Wait, hold on a second," Maria said. "Egghead, you were the first to wake up, right?"

"R-right… Um, do you think I could have a different nickname? Egghead is a little demeaning…"

She waved her hand. "Yeah, whatever. Later. Anyway. He knew you when you were alive, you were the first to wake up, and when you tried to leave he stopped you. Way harder than he tried to stop the others. Plus, he told us he'd only force you guys to be idols if you wanted to."

"What are you suggesting…?"

"You think maybe there's something more to this than him just choosing you 'cause he knows you?" She glared at him smugly. "You think maybe he cares more about you than the rest of-"

"IT'S NOT LIKE THAT, YOU STUPID BIKER!" he shouted, jumping to his feet. "WHERE DO YOU FIT INTO ANY OF THIS? IT'S NONE OF YOUR DAMN BUSINESS HOW I FEEL ABOUT THEM!"

The four girls were stunned at this outburst. After a moment, they recomposed themselves. "I think I just figured it out," Maria whispered.

"I think you're right," Ai whispered back. "He's definitely some kind of relative or friend or something."

Sakura put her hand to her chin. _If he was a relative or friend, then I should be able to recognize him…_ She inspected him closely. _Who is he?_

He sat back down and crossed his arms. "Do you have any other questions?"

"Yeah, what're you gonna do with Tae?" Ai asked.

He frowned. "What happened to your face?"

"Answer the question, damn it!" Maria yelled.

"Hey. You should mind your manners. You won't get any respect without them." He turned back to Ai. "I'm going to give her a good home until she wakes up."

"Do you even have a source of income?" Ai snapped.

"I suppose I'll have to get a job."

"Don't you need to use your legal name for that?"

"What's your point?"

"What's the point of lying about who you are? What's the harm in telling-"

"I DON'T WANT TO, YOU STUPID ZOMBIE! HOW'S THAT FOR AN ANSWER? WHAT, YOU WANT A BETTER ANSWER? HOW ABOUT THIS: YOU SHOULDN'T EVEN CARE WHO I AM BECAUSE I'M THE MAN WHO BROUGHT YOU BACK FROM THE DEAD! I SHOULD BE ASKING WHO YOU ARE! WHO ARE YOU, AI MIZUNO?" he asked, pointing aggressively.

Sakura stared at him silently. _Just who is he? Now I'm even more curious…_

Ai rolled her eyes and turned to her. "Are you okay with an answer like that one?"

"Well… it kind of just makes me want to know even more…" She cocked her head. "I'm trying to think of who he could be, but I knew a lot of people…"

"Excuse me," Yuugiri interrupted, "if I may…"

"Oh… um, sure… what is it?"

"I have a question of my own. Who is Misa?"

The four girls froze in fear. "W-who's Misa?" Maria stuttered out. "What're you talking about?"

She stared blankly at them. "Please, don't be afraid to tell us. We really only have your best interests at heart. I asked out of curiosity the first time, but it's become increasingly clear that this is very important. I do not know why you are hiding this from us, but whatever the reason is, we will not be upset."

"S-she's the boss of Korosuke, the one who currently has Tae!" Ai explained shakily.

She nodded. "I see. And what happened to her?"

"H-huh?"

"Junko-han mentioned something happening to her when we met earlier this week," she elaborated. "What was it?"

"I-I accidentally hurt her when we fought on Tuesday!" Sakura yelled. "That's what happened to her!"

This answer seemed to satisfy her. "Well, alright. I hope she comes to her senses and returns Tae soon."

The four sighed in relief. _Situation avoided…_ Sakura thought.

"I have a question," Koutarou said.

"Shoot," Maria replied.

"Do you think I'm stupid?"

"H-huh?!"

He rose to his feet and walked toward them. "That was an obvious lie, you DUMBASS ZOMBIES! You're all TERRIBLE LIARS!" He stood at his full height and looked down at them. "What she just said about us not being upset is true. I will not be mad. I will be mad, however, if you continue to lie to me about something that is obviously a very dire situation that requires our attention."

"W-well, technically, she wasn't lying," Maria defended.

"What happened?" He turned to Sakura. "What did you do?"

"I… I… I…" She turned to the others. _What do I say?_

Ai was mouthing something to her, but she couldn't read lips. Maria was shaking her head no. Junko merely stared at her, wide-eyed. Slowly, Ai started increasing in volume, and it soon became apparent that she was saying the word 'name' over and over again.

 _That's right! We can use that as leverage!_ She looked back up at him and stood her ground. "Why should I trust what you say when you won't even tell me who you are?!" she asked.

"If this has something to do with us, which it clearly does, because you're putting so much effort into hiding it, then we should know."

"Don't try to avoid the question!" she replied. "Tell me your name!"

"I will not."

"I'm not telling you until you tell me!"

"YOU DUMBASS ZOMBIE! I'M ONLY TRYING TO HELP! WHY DO YOU NEED TO KNOW MY NAME SO BAD?!"

"Because as far as I know, you're the only person from my old life who I still know, and I don't even know who you are! Why won't you tell me?"

"I DON'T WANT TO! WHY IS THAT SO HARD FOR YOU TO GET, YOU STUPID ZOMBIE?! I DON'T WANT TO SHARE EVERY LITTLE BIT OF INFORMATION ABOUT MY PRIVATE LIFE WITH YOU! WHAT YOU NEED TO GET THROUGH YOUR THICK ZOMBIE SKULL IS…"

His voice faded from Sakura's attention as she stared at herself in the reflection of his glasses. _Wait a second… those glasses…!_ She reached up, grabbed them by the lens, and yanked them off.

Junko's hand flew over her mouth.

She gasped as his eyes were revealed. _He's…_

Yuugiri's eyebrows shot up. "Oh, my."

She stared at his face and looked it up and down. _This is…_

Ai's jaw dropped.

She gazed at every feature and gripped onto the sunglasses tightly. _I can't believe it…_

Maria burst out laughing. "Oh my god! This is too good!"

Her mouth trembled as she realized. _He's got a terrible tan line where the glasses were… it looks hideous_ _…_

He blinked and ripped the glasses from her hand. "That was uncalled for." He slipped them back over his eyes.

"You… your…"

"Yes, it's me. I'm sure you remember Inui-kun."

She stared at him silently for a long moment before she took a step back. "WHAT?!"

"I don't think she knew that," Ai observed.

Maria howled with laughter. "Holy crap, I'm so glad I came with you guys…"

He stared at her for a moment with a stoic look on his face. "Forget I said that, then."

Her brows trembled with shock. _I-I didn't know that! What on Earth?! He's so old! I… I just saw him the week before I died! He's totally different! Now I have even more questions!_ She was having a crisis.

He turned back toward the girls. "I told you. Now you tell me."

"I-I honestly wasn't expecting you to tell…" Ai sputtered out.

"Neither was I. But I did. So now you uphold your end of the deal."

She gulped and glanced at Sakura, then back at him. "You have to promise you won't freak out. And that you won't do anything to Misa or us."

"You have my word."

She took a deep breath. "Misa… on Tuesday night… Tae bit her. Now she's a zombie. That's what happened to her."

He stared at her in silence for a moment before a confused smile spread across his face. "Sorry?"

"Oh, dear…" Yuugiri reacted aloud.

"We have a video if you wanna see it," Maria said. She pulled out her phone.

He was clearly struggling to remain his cool. He turned back around, walked over to the couch, sat back down, and took the whiskey bottle out from under the table. Still smiling, he started chugging it.

"H-hey!" Ai yelled. "What're you doing?"

"Oh, jeez…" Maria whispered.

He put down the bottle for a moment and put his head in his hands.

Sakura sat down opposite him and started downing it herself.

"Sakura?! Seriously?!" Ai screamed.

"Maybe it's best that we leave for now," Junko whispered.

"No, you should stay," Yuugiri said quietly. "He will probably have a number of questions."

"Can I just leave my number?" Maria asked quietly. "This is really awkward…"

She cocked her head. "I'm sorry, I don't think I understand…"

She scoffed. "Here." She reached onto the desk and grabbed a paper and pen, which just so happened to be sitting on the desk. Written on the paper was lots and lots of kanji, ending with 'do you want to thumb wrestle'. She quickly wrote down a telephone number and handed it back to the zombie before her. "Once he's better, give him this. He'll know what to do with it."

She took it. "Okay. Goodnight."

The three girls backed out of the room quietly, leaving Sakura, Yuugiri, and Koutarou alone.


	91. The Call Cut Short

The whiskey bottle sat empty on the table before them. It had been quite a long time since the girls had left and they each took turns taking shots for the better part of an hour. Sakura had never drank before, so she naturally felt terrible, but she was a zombie, so she wasn't sure if what she was feeling was the alcohol's intended effect. She figured she probably wasn't because she had no blood and therefore there was no medium for the ethanol to get to her brain. She was laid down on the couch across from Koutarou, who was doing the same. Both of them stared up at the ceiling in silence.

Finally, he said his first words to her since he had told her his name. "When were you going to tell me?"

She shook her head. "We probably weren't. When were you going to tell me?"

"I probably wasn't."

There was a short period of silence.

"So… Inui-kun…"

"Yes."

"What were things like after I died?"

He sighed. "There was a short time of mourning, plus the funeral. The school offered counseling for about a week, then that was the end of it. Two years later, you got a memorial in the yearbook. But by that point, everyone seemed to have moved on."

She stared up at the ceiling silently. _I really didn't do anything significant with my life… My whole human life was a failure…_

"But I never moved on. I brought you back from the dead to give you a second chance. A chance to make something of yourself. To leave an impact on the world."

 _That's true… I got a second chance. I got a second chance at life, and now I'm in Dorami!_ A slight smile spread across her face. _It's all thanks to him that I have what I have now…_ She glanced at him. "Thank you."

"FINALLY!" he shouted. "I BRING YOU BACK FROM THE DAMN DEAD, AND I DON'T GET A THANK YOU UNTIL TWO WEEKS LATER! ABOUT DAMN TIME YOU LEARNED SOME MANNERS!"

This reaction wasn't what she was expecting from him. She sighed. "You're so different, Inui-kun…"

"I've been through a lot."

She scratched her head. "I'd rather just keep calling you Koutarou-san… thinking that you and him are the same person is confusing."

"That's fine. Do you have any other questions?"

She paused. _Do I even care about my old life anymore_ _…? It's not like I'm ever going back._ She shook her head. "No."

"Good. Because I have some of my own."

"Oh! O-okay!"

"Is she upset about it?"

"Huh?"

"Misa. Is she upset about being a zombie?"

"Oh! Um, as far as we could tell, she wasn't really upset to be a zombie… She's just worried that you're gonna do something to her."

"Like what?"

"Um… kill her…?"

He put his hand on his face and dragged it downwards. "I already killed her. Tae is my responsibility. I should have taken her back when I saw you last week."

"Yeah…"

"Where can I find her?"

"You're not going to do anything to her, are you?"

"What more could I possibly do? I already made her into a zombie. Even if I could do anything, more, I wouldn't. I'm not as cold as you think."

"Oh… Well, in that case, we know where her apartment is, but I still wouldn't recommend going… She's mad at all of us and she probably won't react very well to seeing you."

"So she's woken up?"

"Yes…"

"So then she would be able to understand once we explained the situation."

"I think it would be a better idea to just not do anything…" she muttered. "She's a little unpredictable, and I think it would be better if you just agreed to never face her."

"I can't not face her. It's my fault she's a zombie. To just ignore her would be irresponsible."

There was another moment of silence.

"Do you feel better about living here?"

"I guess so…"

"Good." He sat up and rubbed his temples.

Yuugiri stepped forward. "If you have any more questions about Misa, Koutarou-han, Maria-han left this number here." She held out the piece of paper from before.

He waved it away. "I don't have any more. I'm just going to get another drink."

"You've had far too much already. You need to lay back down."

"Until I get a chance to talk to her, I don't want to be sober. Get out of my way."

"W-wait!" Sakura interjected. "I just remembered! Koutarou-san! You have my phone's number, don't you?"

He raised an eyebrow. "I do."

"Misa still has that phone! If you call it, you can talk to her!"

He perked up and without a word immediately pulled his phone out of his pocket. He tapped on the screen and held the phone up to the ear. He gulped.

The ringing sound was agonizing. After a long thirty seconds, it stopped. "H-hello?" a woman's voice answered shakily.

"Is this Misa?" he asked.

"Y-yes…"

"My name is Koutarou Tatsumi. I've heard you recently became a zombie. I'd like to offer my-"

There was a loud clap on the other end.

"Oh? Hello? Hello?" he held the phone away from his head and watched as the call ended. "Oh, come on." He immediately called back and held it back up to his ear. He frowned as the ringing continued far longer than it had before. Eventually, it timed out and went to voicemail.

Sakura cocked her head. "I think she just sent you to voicemail."

"Oh, really? I had no idea, you stupid zombie," he replied sarcastically. He listened to the voicemail message then spoke. "Misa, this is Koutarou Tatsumi. I've heard that you recently became a zombie. I'd like to offer my condolences. I should have acted more strictly in regards to letting Sakura use Tae to accomplish her goals. I have no ill intentions. You don't have to be worried about me ending your life; I only want to talk. Please call me back as soon as you hear this. Goodbye." He hung up the phone and stared at it silently.

Yuugiri stepped forward and placed a hand on his shoulder. "I'm sure everything will be fine. You should get some rest."

"You're right." He looked at Sakura. "You should get to bed, too."

She nodded. "Right. I've got a long day ahead of me tomorrow."

He raised an eyebrow. "Tomorrow?"

"Oh, yeah! I joined Dorami!" she replied excitedly.

He leaned back in his chair and dropped the phone to his side. "Oh, good for you."

She genuinely couldn't tell if he was excited or not. _He certainly still is mysterious…_ She simply rose out of her chair, bowed, and left the room. "Goodnight, then, Koutarou-san."

"Goodnight, Sakura."

* * *

Misa stared at the flip phone on the table before her while taking rapid, panicked breaths. Her arms were wrapped tightly around her knees and she could feel her heart beating faster than a hummingbird's. When the phone started ringing again, she stared at it, her mind quickly analyzing the best course of action. She picked it up, opened it, and snapped it in half. After that, she ran over to her kitchen and pulled a steak knife out of the drawer and started stabbing it repeatedly. After the first four stabs, it started smoking. She screamed in shock as she picked it up, opened the door, and hurled it out into the parking lot below. She watched the phone as it exploded, becoming a small fireball. Her breathing slowly calmed down and her heart rate returned to normal. She shook her head. "I need to do something about this…" she muttered to herself. "I need to move first."

The smoke alarm went off behind her.

She gritted her teeth. "Damn it!" She quickly ran back inside to grab something to cover up with before her neighbors saw that she was a zombie as they evacuated the building angrily. "I've got to do something… and soon…"


	92. The Aunt's Encounter

Sakura's eyes opened slowly. The morning light from the windows was warm and she felt quite comfortable just laying in bed. She heard the birds chirping outside and felt at peace with herself and the world. _Ahhh… just a few more minutes…_ She smiled and slowly closed her eyes again.

Suddenly, the door to the room was kicked open and a group of girls rushed in and surrounded her loudly, stomping and shaking the ground beneath her. "Get up, Egghead!" Saki shouted.

"GYAAAHH!" she screamed, frantically kicking the blankets off of her in shock. She rolled onto the carpet and looked up. "E-everyone…! What're you doing here?!"

Saki, Maria, and Lily started snickering to themselves. "Look at her face!" Lily laughed.

Ai reached down and helped the poor girl to her feet. "Sorry about that. Saki just wanted to make an entrance."

Sakura frowned. "Oh. Well, I'm not even dressed yet, so you'll have to wait a bit longer until I'm ready." She gestured to her pajamas, clearly frustrated.

"Just wear what you wore yesterday," Maria shrugged. "We're gonna go get you a uniform today, anyways. Here." She tossed her a red jacket she was holding under her arm.

Her anger melted away as she gasped and caught the jacket in her hands. She looked down at it happily and felt its texture in her fingers. She looked up at Ai and grinned.

"Well? What're you waiting for?" she asked with a smile. "Get changed so we can get started!"

"Yeah!" she nodded. The girl sprinted out of the room excitedly, leaving the rest of Dorami alone.

She glared at Saki. "Was that really necessary?"

"What, it was funny, wasn't it?"

* * *

The six girls pulled up in front of the same store the rest of Dorami had gotten their clothes at and rode up onto the sidewalk. They all parked their bikes in parallel in front of the store's large glass displays and turned off their engines.

Maria turned to Ai. "You wanna do it or should I?"

"I'll do it." She turned to Sakura. "Here, Sakura, come on. Let's go. Keep those glasses on and close your jacket so they can't see your neck."

"Okay!" she replied. She stepped off her bike and followed her idol into the store, her ponytail bouncing wildly with excitement just as she was.

Saki took a deep breath and kicked back in her seat. "So, she wants a new nickname, huh?"

"Yeah," Maria answered, doing the same. "I thought a good one might be Scarface. You know, 'cause of the huge scar on her forehead?"

"Yeah, that's a bit too cliché for my tastes," she rebutted. "You know, it doesn't have to be about how she looks. In my old crew, we had Hammerhead, Knuckles, Thirteen, Jackalope, Stutter, and Roadslide, to name a few."

"Roadslide…?" Junko asked.

"Yeah. She was always doing wheelies and crap even though she couldn't, and any time you looked at her, there was like a 1 in 5 chance she was sliding across the road with her hands on her head. She was so stupid," she chuckled. "The girl went through, like, eight jackets by the time I died. It was pretty ridiculous."

"Wait, why doesn't Maria-chan have a nickname?" Lily asked.

"Because she's the boss," she explained. "Any nickname you give her is stupid because it's easier to just call her 'boss' anyways."

"Oh, okay."

"But anyways, if you guys think of any good nicknames for her, let me know. Until then, she's Egghead."

Junko put her hand to her chin. "I'm not very good at coming up with nicknames…" she said. "I prefer to refer to people by their actual names…"

"Yeah, but nicknames are good for when you wanna look more menacing and less like actual people with, like, families and junk," Maria pointed out. "If I say Marshmallow, it's way different from saying Junko, y'know? Makes you scarier if your name isn't human."

"I suppose so." She paused for a moment. "Then shouldn't Saki have one?"

She furrowed her brows. "Actually, yeah. I guess I should come up with-"

"Maria? Is that you?" a woman's voice asked.

The four girls looked up to see a middle-aged woman with brown neck-length hair staring at them. "Oh, that's my aunt Naoko," Maria sighed. She waved her hand. "Yeah, how's it hanging?"

She ignored her and walked toward them slowly. The whole time, she kept her eyes fixated on Saki.

"Why's she staring at me?" she asked.

"Aunt Naoko? Oh! Did mom not tell you about them?" She watched her walk right past her. "Hello?"

She stopped right in front of her. "I can't believe it… Reiko was telling the truth…? Saki?"

Finally, something in her mind clicked. Her jaw dropped as she realized who it was. She slowly removed her glasses. "Jackalope?"

Her hands flew to either side of her head. "No way! It's actually you?!"

Saki jumped off her bike and launched into a hug. "Jeez, girl! I didn't even recognize you without the highlights! You know how long it's been since I saw you?!"

"It's been way longer for me! You're actually a zombie?! We all thought Reiko had lost her marbles! Hold on, I gotta get a picture!" She reached into her purse, produced a smartphone, and started tapping on it.

"What the hell? You know her?" Maria asked, shocked.

Saki turned. "Hell yeah, I know her! This is Jackalope, one of the original members of Dorami!" Her face dropped for a moment. "Wait, she's your aunt?"

"Y-yeah, on my dad's side…"

She looked back at the woman, shocked. "Reiko married your brother?!"

"She sure did!" she held her phone out in front of her. "Say, 'cheese'!"

Despite how confused she was, she looked up and smiled for the camera. She stifled a laugh as she noticed Junko's surprised face in the background and Lily squeezing herself in over her shoulder.

She snapped the picture and turned back to her. "When we all heard you were a zombie, we thought Reiko had gone insane! But she was telling the truth?! I can't believe this is real!"

"I know, right?! Like, who would've thought?!" She squinted. "Wait, whaddya mean by 'we'?!"

Her jaw dropped. "Have you not seen the others yet?! You've only met with Reiko?!"

"What?! Do you guys still hang out?!" she asked excitedly.

"Well, no, but we have a group chat!"

She gasped. "Can I send them a message?"

"Yeah you can! Hold on!" She held back up her phone and tapped on the screen some more. "Okay, I'm gonna take a video! Recording… now!"

"Hey, guys!" Saki greeted. "Saki here! Yeah, I'm alive and better than ever as a zombie! Look at this! I got a new crew!" She gestured to the three girls behind her. "I got Shrimpy, Marshmallow, and Maria, plus Bandages, who's in the store! Oh yeah, and Sakura, too, but she just joined last night, so I'm not really used to that yet… Anyway! I'm pickin' up right where I left off! Takin' over Kyushu! So yeah, I'm doing great! I got all these zombie powers and stuff! Look at this!" She reached down and pulled off her own arm, waving it around.

Jackalope gasped. "Oh my god… is it supposed to do that?"

"You're damn right it is!" She twisted it back on. "Anyway, you guys should grab some Tori with me sometime! It'd be awesome!" She looked up at her. "Okay, now what?"

"Now I stop recording," she said. "That was terrifying." She looked at the girl before her and shook her head. "I still can't believe what Reiko said was true! So, wait, how is this even possible?"

She shrugged. "Honestly, the dude who did it won't even tell us. We have no idea."

She ran her head through her hair and groaned. "Oh, you have no idea how much this complicates things. Now I have to go apologize to her."

She rolled her eyes. "Don't bother. She's been acting weird since she first saw me."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, I mean, when I first walked in the door, she got, like… really mad. She told me to 'leave me and my family alone'. Like, what does that mean?"

She winced and inhaled sharply through her teeth. "Oh, Saki… you have no idea…"

She blinked. "What? Does that actually mean something?"

She put her hand over her face and sighed. "Saki… after you died, Korosuke tormented us. Sending us emails and letters from you, calling us by your name, even dressing up as you. They were ruthless. She probably thought you were another one of their pranks."

She stared at her in shock. "Wait, seriously?! Birdhead did all that crap?" She gritted her teeth angrily. _I'm gonna kill her…_

"Actually, Birdhead fired everyone who did it. She was one of the more reasonable people when it came to dealing with your death. But it took all of us ages to get over it all." She paused. "And… now… you two aren't on good terms, right?"

She crossed her arms and looked to the side. "No. We aren't."

She put her hand on her shoulder. "Tell you what? I'm gonna go see what's up with her once I'm done running some errands. Maybe it's just a big misunderstanding. Do you have a phone?"

"Just call me," Maria said.

She nodded. "Alright." She looked back at the zombie before her and smiled. "It's nice to see you again, Saki."

She looked up and smiled back. "It's nice to see you again, too." She hugged her one last time.

Jackalope broke out of the hug and walked away. Once she was around 20 meters away, she grabbed both sides of her head and started talking to herself quietly. She was clearly freaking out.

"Huh," Maria said, "that ended a lot better than it did with mom."

"Yeah…" Saki replied. She turned around and laid back down on her bike. _Maybe she can talk some sense into her._ A smile spread across her face. _Then we can go back to being friends._ She slipped her glasses back over her eyes.

"Uhh, what was that?" Lily asked.

"Old Dorami stuff. You don't have to worry about any of that crap."

"Okay!"

"That sounded terrible," Junko observed. "Tormenting them like that… It must have been very difficult for them."

"Yeah…" Saki replied quietly. _Using my fucking rep to harass my team? That's low, even for you, Korosuke._ She took a deep breath and closed her eyes. "I just hope that Jackalope can talk some sense into her so we can go back to being friends."

Maria stared at her for a moment before she spoke. "Hey, Saki. What was my mom like when you were alive?"

She reopened her eyes and looked at the girl next to her. "Reiko? She was the best. Tough as nails, more guts than anyone else I knew. She and I founded Dorami together after we ran away from home. Best years of my damn life. She and I did everything together and we did it in style. She's actually the one who dyed my hair."

"Really?"

"Yeah. And when I say we did everything together, I mean everything. Our first fight, we were back to back, punching idiots left and right. Sure, we both got pretty banged up, but in the end, we came out on top. What really set her apart is that she had the guts to do pretty much anything, just like me."

She looked down at her hand. "Guts…" she whispered to herself.

"Yeah. We were gonna conquer all of Kyushu together. The two of us were unstoppable." She smiled for a second, then sighed. "Well, I guess one of us was, actually."

She stared at her silently.

"What sucks is that I know that… even if we made up… I still wouldn't get back that badass biker chick who rode at my side. Don't get me wrong, I still want to be friends with her; she was my other half. But she's not a biker anymore. And as much as I want to, I'm probably never gonna get another Reiko. No one's as tough as she was."

"Not yet."

She smiled. "You got potential, kid." She put her hand on her shoulder and patted it. "Got a lotta work to do, but you could get there."

She smiled, studied the way she was sitting, and quickly mimicked it. "I will."


	93. The First Day of Work

The five Dorami bikes skidded to a stop just outside a park with several teenage boys loitering within. A single Korosuke bike zoomed past, then soon backed back up to be next to them. "Sorry, I didn't see the hand signal…" Sakura apologized.

"You're fine," Ai assured her. "You ready to do this?"

She nodded. "Y-yeah!"

"Just follow mine and Junko's lead." She turned to Maria. "Let's go."

The five original members stepped off their bikes in perfect unison. Maria stood in the front, Lily and Saki stood right behind her, and Ai and Junko were in the back. They were in a V formation.

 _Oh! Now!_ Sakura quickly hopped off her bike and joined Ai and Junko in the second row of zombies.

"I'm sure you'll be great," Junko assured her.

She smiled. "Thanks, Junko-chan."

"Shh! Quiet!" Maria scolded them. She put her hands in her pockets and started walking forward. "The hell are you idiots doing in this park, huh?! This is Dorami turf!"

One of the boys looked up. "G-guys! It's Dorami!" He put his hands up in front of him. "I-I already paid you guys for this week!"

She raised an eyebrow and turned around. "You guys recognize this one?"

Saki pointed to him. "Yeah, he's good. The others aren't, though."

She turned back to the boys. "Alright, pay up!"

"Pay up?! What are you talking about?" one of them asked.

"1,000 yen! Cooperate or else things are gonna get ugly!"

The first boy turned back to his friends. "You guys, just pay up. She's not kidding. Those are real zombies."

"Dude, quit being dramatic. What is she, like, fourteen? Those girls are clearly just wearing makeup. One of them's a kid!"

A smug smile spread across Maria's face. "Alright, then." She held up her fingers and snapped.

Sakura stood still as the zombies around her began to move out of formation and converged on the group before them. "O-oh!" She quickly followed Ai to the outside of the circle and stared at the boys before her menacingly.

"Sakura, your glasses!" Ai whispered as she took out her nail gun.

"O-oh, right!" She took off her glasses and put them into her pocket. She crossed her arms and glared with her eyes now exposed.

The boys seemed disgusted, but unfazed. "Jeez, those are some pretty convincing cosplays."

Saki looked up at the one in front of her. "Could a cosplay do this?" She unhinged her jaw, letting it fall loosely way lower than it should naturally. Next, she reached up and grabbed him by the throat, letting her cold, dead hands interrupt his breathing. "Hihe houhanh yeh."

His face immediately dropped as he realized he was dealing with an actual zombie. "N-no way…!" he wheezed.

She lifted her jaw back into place. "Yes way! Five thousand yen!"

One of the boys bolted past the zombie, leaving his friends in the dust.

"Someone get him!" Maria shouted.

Sakura turned, immediately grabbed him by the the collar of his shirt, and pulled him backwards without so much as a second thought. Her body reacted before her mind did. _Huh? Did I just do that?_

"Nice catch, Sakura-chan!" Lily exclaimed, running up next to her and punching the boy in the crotch, sending him crashing into the ground. "That was really good!"

A wide smile spread across her face. _It was?_

"Anyone else feel like running?!" Maria asked loudly. "Five thousand! We told you idiots it'd get ugly!"

Saki and Lily started lifting cash off the boys quietly, letting out the occasional threat.

Sakura's smile fell. She turned to Ai. "Are we… mugging people?"

"We're collecting tribute," she explained. "It's different."

"How is it different?"

"Well, with tribute, we claim territory then charge people to use that territory. Once we take their money, they get to use it for a week. We don't mess with kids or the elderly, though. That's a little below our standards."

"Oh, so it's like Monopoly."

"I guess so, yeah."

Finally, the two girls were finished with their dirty work. They handed their cash to Maria, who let out one final warning. "You better know not to mess with Dorami again!" she yelled. "And I'm FIFTEEN, DAMN IT!" She turned around. "Let's get outta here."

Ai, Junko, and Sakura walked after the other three.

Saki put her arm on Sakura's shoulders. "Damn, girl! Way to think on your feet!"

"That was pretty cool," Maria commended. "I was really only expecting Saki to do anything."

"Not bad for a first time," Ai affirmed.

"Really? You think so?" Sakura asked, the smile once again reappearing on her face.

"You're a natural," Junko replied.

"How many more tributes until lunch?" Lily asked.

Maria pulled her phone out of her pocket as he stepped onto her bike. "I'd say maybe four or five. We gotta make sure to hit that one by the station today, though. Saturdays are way better for it. Let's go there next."

Ai turned to Sakura. "Are you feeling good about this?"

She bashfully giggled. "Well, it's definitely something new, I guess…"

"Then let's ride!" Saki cheered.

* * *

Sakura screamed in excitement as she felt the wind flowing through her hair. Though she didn't really like collecting tribute a whole lot, spending time with her new friends was really fun. She looked ahead at the five girls in front of her and couldn't help but feel giddy. _These days just keep getting better and better!_ "Woohoo!" she shouted, popping a wheelie and speeding up. She turned and looked at Ai's astonished face for a moment before looking back forward and dropping her wheel. She grinned from ear to ear and followed the others to the Karatsu train line. This time, she saw the hand signal given out by Saki and slowed to a stop gracefully. She took a deep breath and turned off her bike.

"How did you do that?!" Ai uttered in shock, clenching her brake.

Her head whipped toward her. "Huh? Kozue-san taught me!"

"Oh, right! She really taught you that well? You think you could give me lessons sometime?"

She gasped and smiled wide. "Of course!" _Ai Mizuno wants lessons from ME?! This is great!_

Saki rolled her bike past her under the train line bridge. "Come on. You guys wanna eat or not?"

"Oh, right!" She stepped off and rolled her bike under the bridge. She noticed the other girls were forming a circle with their bikes and rolled hers up next to Ai's. She sat down on it and looked around eagerly at the five girls.

Maria reached into her bike's storage compartment and pulled out a bag of sub sandwiches. "Alright, pass the bag around and take your own!" She pulled out a footlong, handed the bag to her left, and sat down. "So, Sakura, how's your first day so far?"

"Good!" she replied. "I'm having a lot of fun!"

"Nice."

"So, we're probably gonna head to Harue's later," Ai said. "Sakura, you wanna come with?"

"Um, she's the girl from yesterday, right? The one who wanted to 'study' me?"

"She's actually quite helpful," Junko interjected, taking her own sandwich from the bag. "She's helped us figure out quite a bit about ourselves. Are there any questions you have about your body?"

"Um, I don't know. But if you're all going, I'll go!"

"Actually, Saki isn't coming," she replied. "She has to modify your bike to look like ours."

She blinked and cocked her head. "Huh?"

"These bikes are actually Korosuke bikes!" Lily explained. "But Saki-chan made them better using parts she found in the junkyard!"

"Really?! That's amazing! I couldn't even tell!" She took the bag from Ai and pulled her own sandwich out. Then she handed it to Lily.

"You didn't notice that driving Saki's bike was exactly like driving one of their bikes?" Ai asked.

"W-well, when you put it like that…" She let out a bashful smile and scratched her head. "I guess it makes sense…" she laughed quietly.

"So, how do you like intimidating?" Saki asked. "Pretty damn easy when you're a zombie, right?"

"Yeah! It's nice to find another thing I'm really good at."

"Marshmallow, how's the butterfly knife?" Maria asked.

"Oh, it's a little difficult, actually," she replied. "I'm glad we accidentally ordered a practice one."

"We'll just sharpen it as soon as she's got the hang of it," Saki shrugged.

"Wait, lemme see! Lemme see!" Lily cheered.

"Oh, okay." She pulled the closed knife out of her pocket and held onto one of the two pieces of the handle. With a quick flick of the wrist, the dull blade and the other handle began spinning around. With quick fingerwork, she switched handles back and forth until she ended up with both in the same hand and the blade pointing out.

"Damn, that was awesome!" Maria gushed.

"Amazing, Junko-chan!" Sakura exclaimed.

She smiled. "Thank you. Although, I'm having trouble closing it as elegantly as I open it." She pressed a trigger on the side of the knife and the blade fell loose, spinning back around. She attempted to do the same stylish trick as before, but almost immediately, the blade hit her fingers. "Ouch." She reached up her other hand and closed it normally. "It's fascinating what you can learn using the internet. I found a place called YouTube on Takeo-san's computer, and it showed me so many tutorials…"

Ai gasped and turned to Sakura. "Have you seen the internet since we died?! It's so different!"

"H-huh? Well, I saw Google and a few news sites, but not much else…"

She put her hands on her shoulders. "You and I have to look at the internet together. Seriously. It's so weird. Everything is, like, flat. I can't even explain it. It makes no sense."

"Really? Yeah! We should!" she smiled. _This is so exciting! We're doing what friends do! I'm friends with Ai Mizuno!_ She happily took a bite out of her sandwich.

"So, like, the Gatalympics signups are coming up soon," Saki said, gesturing with one hand. "We should totally compete."

"Ew! Gross! No way!" Lily denied. "Why would I wanna do that?"

"Uh, because it's awesome!"

"What are the Gatalympics?" Junko asked.

"Oh, they're like the Olympics, but everything takes place in mud," Sakura explained.

She winced. "I think I'd rather not do that…"

"Yeah, count me out, too," Ai replied.

"Oh, come on, you guys!" Saki complained. "I don't wanna do it alone!"

"Who the hell said you were doing it alone?" Maria asked.

She turned to the girl and grinned. "Hell yeah! We're reppin' Dorami!"

"I'm gonna crush you."

"In your dreams."

"I'll watch, but I won't compete," Ai stated.

"You know what? That's cool with me. As long as I have someone I know who I can DESTROY in Hakkeyoi!"

"Oh, you think you're so tough with your whole zombie thing?"

"I could crush you as a human, too."

"Save it for the mudflats, bitch."

"Getting competitive, are we?" Junko laughed.

"Of course they are," Ai sighed in amusement.

"They aren't even for another two months," Lily commented.

Sakura smiled at the exchange. Spending time with these girls really was the best.

* * *

Shinta watched the TV with great disinterest. He had to breathe lightly as the doctors had instructed him to allow his broken ribs to heal, so he wasn't allowed to watch anything particularly funny. He wasn't able to get out of bed on his own thanks to his broken tailbone and his broken collar bone prevented him from lifting his right arm. Not to mention that his hospital bed was uncomfortable and the gown he was forced to wear felt like a tablecloth with arm holes. Overall, he was having a terrible time in the hospital and greatly regretted his choices that led him to this point.

From the hall, there was a sudden crash and multiple screams.

He slowly turned his head to the door in confusion.

Suddenly, the door to his room was thrown open and in marched a horde of Korosuke girls, each with their hands behind their back.

He immediately started panicking. "K-Korosuke?!" he asked nasally, as his nose was still broken.

One of the girls laughed at his voice. Even with the mask, it was obvious she was struggling to keep herself cool.

In walked Misa, who, unbeknownst to him, was wearing pounds of makeup to appear human. She flexed her whip in her hands. "It's been a while, Okoba. My, they really did a number on you, didn't they?" she asked.

"M-Misa! I swear I didn't publish anything!" He winced in pain as his breathing picked up and shifted his ribs.

"Oh, relax, dear. We're not here to punish you. That is, unless you don't cooperate." She walked up to the side of the hospital bed and looked down at him. "We need some information."

He gulped. "D-does it have to do with Dorami?"

"No, but it does have to do with a condition one of them inflicted me with."

"A… condition?" He raised an eyebrow. "What kind of condition?"

She leaned in close. "My eyes weren't always red, you know."

He gasped. "D-did they…?"

"Yes." She licked her finger and smudged some of the makeup off her exposed neck, shifting its color to be more green. "This is what they did to me."

He stared at her in shock silently.

"The day we first met, you picked up Sakura from a house whose owner goes by the name of Koutarou Tatsumi. I need to know where that house is."

"W-what? What are you going to do?"

"It's none of your business what I'm going to do. Just give us the information or we'll be extending your hospital stay." She extended her hand and was immediately handed a crowbar. "You're going to talk. Or else."

He gulped. "If anyone asks, you didn't hear this from me."

A devilish grin spread across her face. "It's off the books."


	94. The Tantrum

Maria snapped and the crowd of zombies behind her flowed around her. "Have it your way."

Saki walked up to one of the three girls and grabbed her by her shirt's collar. "Alright. Now let's set one thing straight. We're the ones in charge here, got it? Five thousand yen."

"F-five thousand?! I thought it was one thousand!" she stammered out.

 _That's what they all say,_ she smirked. "It was before you decided you were too good to pay your dues!"

Suddenly, Maria's phone started ringing. She took it out of her pocket and held it to her ear. "Hello?"

Sakura turned around.

Ai grabbed her by the shoulder. "Don't look. Just keep doing what you're doing."

She looked back to the girls before her and kept staring at them menacingly.

Saki rolled her eyes playfully. _Rookie mistake._ She shook the girl in her hands. "Don't make me ask again, bitch! Pay up or else!"

"Uh, yeah, sure." Maria held out the phone. "Saki, it's for you."

"Oh, damn, really? Shrimpy, take over for me." She released the girl and turned around. She took the phone and held it to her ear. "Yo."

"Saki, is that you? It's Naoko."

"Hey, Jackalope! How's it hanging?"

"Um, good… listen, Saki, I'm sitting here with Reiko. I just wanted to ask if you… feel bad about what you did to her. To us."

"What I did to you? The hell are you talking about?" She put her free hand on her hip. "I'm not the one who sent Korosuke to torment you."

"Well, I know. I meant the emotional turmoil your death put us through. When you left, Saki, it felt horrible. Do you really not care how we all felt?"

"What, are you not over it, either? It really wasn't that big a deal. I'm sure it couldn't have been that bad."

She sighed. "I see what you mean."

She blinked. "Huh? Really?"

"I was talking to Reiko, not you."

That sentence hit her like a truck. She grunted in disgust and handed the phone back to Maria. She gritted her teeth as a thousand curse words flew through her mind. She turned around angrily. "Sakura, gimme your key. I'm going home."

"Huh? Right now?"

"Shut up and hand it over!"

"O-okay…" She pulled it out of her pocket and held it out in front of her.

She yanked it out of her hand and extended her own. "You can use this for the night. I don't want a fucking scratch on it. Park it indoors. Don't let the key out of your sight. Got it?"

"R-right…" she slowly took the key from her hand.

She turned back to the bikes at the entrance to the park and grumbled to herself as she climbed onto the unmodified bike. She turned it on and sped away, still pissed. _Swear to god, if that bitch converts the rest of my damn crew, I'm gonna lose my fucking mind._ She wiped her face and exhaled angrily. _I need a drink._

* * *

Sakura watched the bike speed into the distance. She turned to Ai. "Is she… okay?"

She sighed. "She's been having issues with her old best friend. She doesn't like to talk about it."

"We just met one of the other group members earlier when you were in the store," Lily informed her. "Her nickname was Jackalope."

"Yeah, she just drove away," Maria said into the phone. "She said she was going home." She turned around and her eyes shot open. She gestured angrily behind them.

"Huh?" Sakura asked, turning around. She saw that the trio of girls who had stood before them was now gone. "Oh, whoops."

"I guess we shouldn't have taken our eyes off of them," Junko stated.

"Maria-chan," Lily asked, "Are we done now that Saki-chan went home?"

She shrugged lazily. "Wh… yeah, she's right here. You wanna talk to her?" She glanced at Ai. "Uh… okay." She held out the phone. "Here. They want to talk to you for some reason."

She took the phone and held it to her ear. "Hello?"

"Why do they want to talk to her?" Junko asked.

Maria shrugged. "I dunno. I didn't ask." She turned to Lily. "We can't really do a whole lot without her, so I guess so, yeah."

Ai put her hand over her other ear. "Yeah. I think this will help her realize. It was a good call."

She glanced back to Ai and put on a very confused expression. "Wh…"

"Alright. Reiko has my number if you need anything. Bye." She held the phone away from her head and pressed the button on the screen to hang up. It didn't work, so she pressed it again. "Oh." She handed the phone back to Maria. "I can't hang up because of the bandages."

She ended the call. "Uh, sorry, what was that about? Are you friends with my mom?!" she insinuated.

"Yeah. After Tuesday night, how could I not be?"

She slipped her phone back into her pocket and sighed. "You have no idea how weird that is."

"I bet." She put her nail gun back in her pocket. "Well, should we just go to Harue's house, then?"

"I don't see why not," Junko remarked.

"Alright. I'll call and let her know we're coming over early." She pulled out her own phone and flipped it open.

"Now, Sakura, we should warn you. Harue can be a little… overwhelming… so just stay firm with her. You will have to tell her no."

"I'm sure she can't be that bad," she smiled.

* * *

"GET AWAY FROM THERE! WHAT IS YOUR PROBLEM?!" Sakura shouted, grabbing her shirt and shoving it back down. "THE BULLET HOLE IS GONE! CAN'T YOU TAKE MY WORD FOR IT?!"

"Well, you are the zombie with brain damage!" she replied cheerily. "I thought I would check for myself!"

"I only had problems with my memory, and not even that anymore!"

"Harue," Ai scolded, "you're going to respect what she says, even if you think she's a lunatic. Because you're even worse."

"That's fair!" she grinned. "Well, anyway, I guess I should get some information!" She walked up onto the deck and grabbed her yellow notepad. "Sakura Minamoto! When's your birthday?"

"U-um, April 2, 1991."

"Seriously?" Ai asked. "Your birthday's on Monday?"

She turned around. "Huh?! It is? B-but I just turned 17!"

"Yeah, a decade ago," Lily quipped.

Ai squinted. "Wait. You died on the seventh… so… your birthgap is LESS THAN A MONTH?!"

Maria burst out laughing. "Oh, man! This is too good!"

"My… what?"

"Your birthgap! The distance between your last birthday and your next one! Bandages' is a year and a half!"

"We should do something to celebrate," Junko suggested. "We were going to go to an arcade that day. Maybe you should come with us?"

Sakura grinned. "Yeah! That'd be great!"

"Hey! Up here!" Harue effused. "Now I need your date of death!"

"Um, April 7, 2008. I got hit by a truck." She turned to the girls behind her. "I could make us a cake! I love baking!"

"What? You can't make your own birthday cake," Maria rebutted. "Isn't that, like, against the rules or something?"

"Oh… I just wanted to cook something again," she moped. "It's been such a long time."

"You can make your own cake," Ai smiled. "Anyways. Go get your tests done with Harue. I'm gonna go sit down." She turned and walked over to one of the lawn chairs, where she sat and took a tranquil breath. Her chair faced away from the other girls.

She stepped up onto the deck just as the girl before her was finishing her writing. "So, um… what now?"

"Height and weight!" she answered, producing a tape measure from her pocket. "Stand against the wall!"

She did as she was told and straightened out her back. From where she was standing, it was easy to see Ai relaxing.

Junko walked up behind the lounging girl and wrapped her arms around her over the back of the chair. She leaned down and whispered something unintelligible into her ear.

"No way," Ai laughed. "That'd be so embarrassing. Maybe you should give her one of yours."

Sakura smiled. _Junko-chan and Ai-chan are so cute together…_ She felt the tape measure brush up against her leg. "How tall am I?"

"Wow! Are all zombies below average height?" she giggled.

"H-huh? You know we're all physically teenagers, right?" she pouted.

"Step onto the scale!" She kicked a scale out in front of her and bent down to examine its reading.

"Okay…" She stepped onto it and looked down. Almost immediately, it gave her a reading of 49 kilograms. "49? I thought I was 46…"

"Your boots and clothes offset it by quite a bit!" she quickly explained. "I'll just write 46, then!" She scribbled down on her notepad and turned back to her. "Okay! Is there anything specific you wanted to study before we get to the general experiments?"

"U-um… I guess my memory…? I don't want to lose it again."

Her eyebrows shot up. "Your memory! Interesting! Tell me more!"

"Well, I lost my memory the first time when I woke up, which I guess has to do with me getting hit by the truck. That's when I forgot everything. Then the second time, I was also hit by a truck, but that time I remembered my life but forgot my time as a zombie."

She grinned from ear to ear. "I see! Interesting! So blunt trauma to the head impairs your memory!"

"W-well, no… Saki-chan headbutted me and I was fine… it only happened when I was hit by a truck and I blacked out…"

"Hm, so it only happens when you blackout after being hit by a truck! Interesting!"

Lily gasped. "That's it!"

Sakura turned to face her. "That's what…?"

"Your new nickname! Blackout!"

"Blackout?"

"Yeah! Blackout!"

"Actually, that's not half bad," Maria conceded. "What do you guys think?"

Junko stood up straight, turned back around, and nodded. "It is fitting. "

"It sounds good," Ai answered.

"Do you think Saki will like it?"

"I'm sure she will," she assured her. She turned in her chair and looked back at the deck. "Sakura, what do you think?"

She smiled. _Finally, a real biker nickname! This is great!_ "I love it!" _Blackout… Blackout…! The more I think about it, the cooler it sounds!_ After a moment of relishing in happiness, she turned back to Harue. "Oh, so, um, will I have to worry about me losing my memory again?"

"Possibly! I suspect that it only happens when you've been hit in the head so hard you black out! So as long as you avoid blunt force trauma to the head, you should be okay!"

"Well, that's… interesting…" she said sheepishly. "I guess I should avoid trucks, then."

"That's putting it pretty damn lightly, don't you think?" Maria laughed.

"You can probably step off the scale now," Lily pointed out.

She looked down. Her boots were still firmly planted on the scale. "O-oh! Right!" She stepped back.

"Anything else specific you'd like to study?" Harue asked excitedly.

"Um, I think that's it… thank you."

"Okay!" She turned to the other girls. "I've come up with a lot of new general experiments to run today! Who wants to see what it's like to get tased?"

* * *

 _Vodka's good for right now, I think…_ Saki pulled a bottle off the shelf and held it for a moment, inspecting its volume. _Maybe I should get two._ She grabbed a second and stood up. She had been deciding which alcohol to get to drown her worries away with for a long time and was glad to finally have come to a decision. She turned and walked to the front of the store. She sighed, set the bottles down on the counter, and looked out the front door of the store. _I don't get it, though… So what if I killed myself? It was twenty damn years ago. Not like they lost anything of value there, I'm the one who lost her fucking-_

"Um, ma'am, I'm going to need to see some ID," the clerk said.

She slowly turned her head toward him and took off her glasses. Her piercing red eyes burned into his skin. "This good enough for ya?"

His face immediately drained of color. "Z-z-zombie!" He dove behind the counter and frantically started looking around for something with which to defend himself. "Ohmygod ohmygod ohmygod…"

She glanced over at him, smirked, and grabbed the bottles. As much as being dead pissed her off, scaring people to death never failed to put a smile on her face. She walked out the door, the security alarm going off behind her, and put the vodka into the bike's storage compartment next to the spray paint she had also stolen. She sat down and turned on the bike silently. As she sped off into the distance, the euphoria of her encounter in the store faded and her mind naturally turned back to her old crew. _I just don't fucking get it_ _… Why the hell do they care?_


	95. The First One to Ask

After a long day at Harue's house, Sakura felt fulfilled. Her whole day had been great. Despite the tediousness of being a biker, spending time with her crew had been amazing for her. Now she was headed home, and the mansion finally came into view. At the sight, she released the throttle and started braking. She pulled up in front of the house and pondered for a second. _Saki-chan said to store this indoors, but this place doesn't have a garage…_ She rode it through the gates and looked around. _Where am I supposed to put it, then…?_ She gasped as she realized there was one place she could store it. _Oh, right!_ She rolled the bike through the grass up to the studio. While there was no way she could lift it up the stairs to put it in there, she could put it in the shed right next door just fine. She opened its doors and rolled the bike inside, parking it next to a regular bicycle. She smiled and shut the doors behind her, holding the key in her hand. She slipped it into her pocket and walked up onto the back porch, where she sat down on a bench and looked out into the night sky. She took a deep breath and smiled wide. _Dying is the best thing to ever happen to me,_ she thought to herself.

"Sakura-han?" Yuugiri asked as she stepped out onto the porch. "Good evening. How was your day?"

She looked at the zombie next to her, grinning from ear to ear. "It was amazing! Everyone was super nice to me and we got to go around collecting tribute and eating and riding and hanging out together! Plus, I found out my birthday is in two days and I also got a biker nickname! Blackout! Isn't it cool?"

She smiled warmly. "It sounds lovely. I'm glad you had fun." She turned and started back into the house. "Please come to bed whenever you feel like it." She closed the door behind her.

She looked back out at the water, her smile unfaltering. _This feeling! I'm so excited for some reason! Nope! Can't sleep at all!_ She stood up and walked out into the backyard. _I wanna practice fighting some more so they can depend on me!_ She latched onto the pole supporting the balcony to support herself and started practicing her kicks. _I want to be someone they can depend on! Someone they can trust!_

* * *

Saki dropped the can of spray paint on the ground. She looked at the red bike before her, on which she had just sprayed the second layer of paint. _I can't stop thinking about them…_ She looked around, searching for something to take her mind off things. Unfortunately, she had already drank all her vodka, collected all the parts she needed, and even done all she could on the underside of the bike for the time being. She sighed and walked over to a pile of garbage, where she laid down uncomfortably. _I just… don't get it…_ She closed her eyes. _Why does she still care about that crap…? Why does Jackalope feel the same way? I care how they feel, damn it… But why… why are they all still caught up in what happened to me? I don't… get it…_

"Saki-san, are you okay?" A hand was placed on her shoulder.

"GAH!" She opened her eyes and launched to her feet, stepping into a stance and putting her hands up. "Back the fuck up!" she shouted.

"Eep!" the white-and-blue-haired girl before her put her hands over her head and backed up.

"J-Junko?" She immediately loosened up. "Jeez, girl, the hell are you doing here?"

"I-I came to check on you…" she sputtered out. "You seemed rather upset earlier."

She crossed her arms and looked to the side. "I'm fine."

She gave a knowing glare. "Well, alright. I also brought you some dinner." She held out a tupperware container with an abundant amount of noodles on the inside. Its lid barely contained them.

"Oh, damn, thanks!" She grabbed it and pulled the lid off, laying back down in the garbage. "I should be done in a few hours. Once this second layer of paint dries, I'll get to modding it physically then I'll spray it one last time."

She sat down on the ground next to her. "I see."

There was a brief period of silence as Saki dug into her noodles, mouth-first.

"Saki-san… you don't have to hide your feelings from us."

She blinked and glanced down at her. "Huh?"

"We can all tell you have a lot going on emotionally. Perhaps it would make you feel better to share it with someone. After all, a leader has to be on the same wavelength as her teammates to get anything done, remember?" she smiled warmly, throwing her own words to Maria back at her.

She paused, considering this for a second. "You really wanna know?"

She nodded. "I do."

"Fine." She sighed and slumped back in her garbage chair. "You remember that chick from this morning?"

"You mean Maria-san's aunt?"

"Yeah. Her. Turns out, she didn't talk any sense into Reiko. Instead, Reiko made her pissed at me, too. And now she's probably gonna do the rest of my crew."

"Oh."

"But I just… don't get it. Like, why the hell do they even care? Going on and on about how they lost me and crap… they didn't lose anything. I'm the one who lost my damn crew."

She cocked her head and looked up at her. "What do you mean? They lost you, didn't they?"

"So?"

"They lost their friend."

She groaned. "No, they didn't. They're not stupid."

She lowered her eyebrows. "Why would you say that? Do you not think of them as your friends?"

"I mean, I do, but… me? That's different. Why the hell would you wanna be friends with someone like me? You'd have to be an idiot."

"Do you… not believe you're worthy of friendship?"

"I'm not the kind of person who can be depended on or trusted or whatever." She turned her head to the side to avoid eye contact. "They shouldn't care about someone like me."

"…Why not?"

"They just shouldn't, okay?!" She grabbed some noodles with her hand and stuffed them into her mouth. "And neither should you. I'm fine. Thanks for the dinner. I should be back before sunrise."

She stood up and looked down at her. "Saki-san… we care about you. I'm sure Reiko does, too. Whether you like it or not, your friends care about you, and they're right to do so. That includes us. Do you think we were exaggerating on Monday night?"

"I said I was fine, damn it!" she shouted painfully.

She stared at her for a long moment. "You don't sound fine…"

She looked down. _Damn it…_

She sat down next to her. "Saki, is there something you're not telling us? What happened to you? There must be a reason you think this way."

She stared down at the noodles in her lap. "It's nothing."

"It's not nothing, Saki!" she yelled suddenly. "You can't keep acting like you're fine when you're not!" She grabbed her hand. "I asked you for help with my trauma… please let me help you with yours."

Saki looked down at the girl's hand. "Trauma? I'm over my death."

"I wasn't talking about your death…"

She gritted her teeth and turned away again. She pulled her hand away from Junko's. "Just leave me alone, damn it. I don't wanna think about him."

"Him…? Is there-"

 _C-crap!_ She turned back to her, now angry. "Just go! Seriously! I don't wanna talk to you anymore!"

She stared at her sadly for a long moment before standing up, turning around, and walking back over to her bike. "If you ever do want to talk, I'll be there for you."

Saki glared at her as she sped off into the night. _I don't._ She looked down at the noodles and sighed. She wasn't hungry anymore. She put the lid back on and placed the container on the ground. She sat back and looked up at the sky in pain. _They shouldn't care how I feel, damn it… I'm the one who's supposed to be there for them._ She closed her eyes. _I can't… think about that… Not him…_


	96. The Intruders

_Forty-nine… Fifty!_ With one final push-up, Sakura pushed herself off the ground with her arms in an effort to climb up to her feet a little more easily. She was shocked as that one push was enough to bring her to her feet single-handedly. _What the…? Oh, right! We're supposed to be really good at jumping!_ A wide smile spread across her face. _So then…_ She squatted down, extended her legs forcefully, and pushed off the ground. She gasped as she went soaring into the air, garnering herself a stunning view of the ocean. _Amazing! They really weren't kidding!_ She landed gracefully, turned around, and looked up at the balcony. _I bet I can jump up there, too!_ she thought to herself. _I can do it… I can do it!_ She smiled and ran toward the house, planted her boots on the ground, and pushed off. She jumped into the air and sailed up to the level of the balcony. _Yes! I'm gonna make it!_

There was a loud crack as Sakura crashed into the side of the house. Barking came from the roof where Romero was.

She fell to the floor, grunted, and rubbed her head. _Maybe I did it a little too well…_ She looked up at the wood wall she had run into and subsequently damaged. _Oops… I hope I didn't wake up Yuugiri-san…_

"What was that?" a hushed voice asked.

"Probably just Asuka being a dumbass again," another replied.

"I swear, if she wakes them up, it's gonna be huge trouble."

She blinked. _What? Who was that?_ She climbed to her feet and walked over to the end of the balcony. She leaned over the side to get a good look at the side of the house. She gasped at the sight.

A group of four Korosuke members were crouched over facing away from her. One of them held a phone to her ear. "Are you in position?" she asked. She paused for a moment. "Alright. You've got one minute to get ready."

 _K-Korosuke?! What are they doing here?! What's going on?! Are they going to-_

The door creaked open behind her. "Sakura-han? Are you okay?" Yuugiri asked.

She quickly turned around and put her hand over her mouth. "Quiet, Yuugiri-san!" she whispered. "Korosuke is here!"

She blinked and looked down at her. "Korosuke?" she asked, removing the girl's hand. "What are they doing here so late at night?"

"They're about to break in!"

"Hmm? Are they? That's unfortunate. Perhaps we should do something…?"

"R-right!" She looked in through the door's window. "We need to turn on all the lights so they think we're awake!" She threw the door open and ran across the room to the lightswitch, which she flicked up. Then she threw open the bedroom door and ran out into the hall. She turned on switch after switch in a panic. Finally, she had turned on every light on the second floor. She smiled. _There! Situation avoided!_

There was the crash of glass from downstairs.

Her face fell. _What the…?! They still broke in?!_ She ran out of the room she was in back into the hallway and looked down the stairs.

"Alright! Move, move, move! Find him, quickly! If you see a zombie, rush it! He has at least one!" a Korosuke girl yelled as her squad of five ran around the stairs and started opening doors, each with weapon in hand.

"Find him…?" Yuugiri asked aloud, walking up behind Sakura. "Do they mean Koutarou-han?"

She turned around. "They have to! But what do they want with him?!"

"Whatever it is, it's the middle of the night. Their intentions can't be good."

"Then we have to go wake him up and get him out of here!" She turned and ran toward one of the mansion's other staircases, followed by the courtesan. She jumped down the stairs and rushed to the room at the end of the hall. Once she reached it, she tried and failed to open the door. _No! It's locked!_ She banged on the door. "Koutarou-san! We've gotta get out of here!"

"Sakura-han! Step back!" Yuugiri yelled.

She did as she was told and watched as the woman next to her kicked the door in an attempt to knock it down. It didn't budge. "It's not working!"

"Koutarou-han! Korosuke is here! We need to escape before-"

"What the hell?!" a girl yelled.

The two zombies turned to see a group of four Korosuke girls at the end of the hall staring at them. "K-Korosuke!" Sakura exclaimed.

"S-Sakura?! What are you doing here?!" the front one, who she recognized as Taeko, Misa's third in command, yelled.

"I live here!" she shouted back. "What are YOU doing here?!"

"That's none of your damn business! You live here?!"

"Why wouldn't it be my business?! You just broke into my home in the middle of the night!"

"Well, what we're doing doesn't concern you! We're here for Shades!" she replied as more and more girls piled up behind her. Before long, she was backed by 13 other girls.

"Do you have any idea what time it is?" Yuugiri asked, frustrated. "You could have entered peacefully at a reasonable time."

"Those weren't our orders!" she replied. "Our orders were to take him by force!"

"What?! Why?! Didn't you get our message?" Sakura asked. She turned to Yuugiri. "Did Misa ever call back?"

"Not as far as I'm aware."

"Whatever! We're gonna follow orders!" She pointed at the girls before her. "Korosuke! Rush them!"

Suddenly, the door next to them slammed open. "JUST WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON OUT HERE, YOU STUPID ZOMBIES?! IT'S TWO IN THE DAMN MORNING!" Koutarou shouted. He had clearly just gotten out of bed, as he wore his pajamas and his sunglasses. He glanced at the Korosuke girls in the hallway. "W-what the?! Who are you?! What are you doing here?!"

"Crap, he's awake!"

"Koutarou-san! They're here to kidnap you!" Sakura quickly explained.

"W-what?!" He glanced down at her, then back to the girls, then back down at her. "Why?"

"I don't know! That's what we were trying to figure out!"

"Because Misa ordered it!" Taeko yelled. "She's not gonna wait for him to make the first move! She wants us to capture him and take him back to her!"

He raised an eyebrow. "You'll take me to see Misa?"

Her scowl dropped. "Uh… yeah…?" she replied, clearly caught off-guard.

"Then I'll go with you."

"What?!" Sakura shouted. "B-but they just tried to kidnap you! Their intentions must be bad!"

"If Misa wants to talk to me, then I have to." He turned to the girls before him. "Please give me a moment to get dressed." He stepped back into his room and closed the door.

There was a long moment of silence and confusion.

"Did he just agree to come with us?" one of the Korosuke girls asked.

"I thought he wanted to kill her…" another replied.

"What?! No he doesn't!" Sakura yelled. "Didn't you get the message we left last night?"

"What message?" Taeko asked.

"The one where he said he didn't want to hurt her! That he only wanted to talk!"

She slowly turned around. "Did she tell us about that?"

There was a low murmur from the group.

"I believe there has been a misunderstanding," Yuugiri noted. "We never meant any harm."

"Seriously?" Taeko asked. "Then what the hell did we just break into this house at two in the morning for?"

"Wait, so, if you thought he wanted to kill Misa," Sakura asked, "what were you going to do to him?"

"Um… I don't know. She never told us."

She crossed her arms and rolled her eyes. _Of course. She never tells anyone anything._

"Wait, is that a Dorami uniform?! Did you join Dorami? For real?"

She looked down at herself. "Oh, yeah! I did! Oops, I shouldn't be wearing my boots in the house…"

"Taeko-san… I cut myself on the glass when we were coming in…" one of the Korosuke girls complained quietly.

She rolled her eyes. "Of course you did. Go get the first aid kit out of Mayumi's bike."

The door next to them opened once again and out stepped Koutarou, now fully dressed in his usual attire. He turned to the Korosuke girls. "Alright. Let's go."

"Oh, um… do you think you could turn around?" she asked. She held up a pair of handcuffs. "We were supposed to cuff you."

He stared at her a moment before turning around and putting his hands behind his back.

"Koutarou-san! You're really going along with this?" Sakura worried.

"I have to talk to her. It's my fault that she's a zombie to begin with," he replied as the girl behind him locked him in. "I should be back by morning. Go to bed."

"Are you sure? Maybe we could come with you…"

"I have to do this alone." He turned to the girl behind him. "How are we getting there?"

"Oh, she's gonna hold you," she answered, pointing to another girl. "Oh, wait. You were supposed to be passed out." She held up her crowbar.

"I CAN PRETEND TO BE PASSED OUT, YOU STUPID BIKER! YOU DON'T HAVE TO HIT ME, DAMN IT!"

"Come, Sakura-han. Let's get to bed," Yuugiri suggested. "You haven't slept at all tonight."

She sighed. "Be careful, Koutarou-san…"

He merely gave a simple nod and let the girls lead him out the front door.

"Well, that was easy," one of the girls observed.

Yuugiri walked up and closed the door behind them. "I'm sure Koutarou-han can take care of himself. You musn't need worry yourself. Get some rest."

"You're right," Sakura sighed. She walked over to the genkan and started taking off her boots.

"Who knows? Perhaps he'll be able to recover Tae as well. Have some faith in him."

"I know… I'm just upset that Misa didn't get our message and this is how they have to talk."

"I'm sure everything will be fine," she smiled, walking past her.

She looked up as she heard the sound of engines driving off into the distance. "I hope so…"

* * *

The girls led him to a large warehouse on the north side of Karatsu. He was led through a small side door and met with a large, dark area. The rest of the warehouse was walled off from sight. The only light in sight was coming from an overhead light. In the middle of the light was a small steel chair. It really felt like an interrogation room.

He walked forward and took a seat.

Another girl walked up behind him and started wrapping a chain around him.

"Misa will be here in a few minutes," Taeko assured him.

"Good." He let his head hang limp and pretended to be passed out. "I look forward to speaking with her."


	97. The Trauma

Saki opened her eyes and looked around at her surroundings. She was in a drab, small living room. The only furniture was a large single-seat reclining chair across from a CRT sitting atop a small table. At the other end of the room was a wooden door. The room was dark, only lit up by the flashing lights of the TV. She gasped as she recognized the place. _No…! Not here!_ She turned to the chair.

Seated in the chair was a small blonde girl, watching TV and kicking her feet happily. She couldn't have been any older than nine or ten. She was smiling wide.

Saki rushed over to her. "Hey! You've gotta get outta here! You know you're not supposed to be in this chair!"

She turned and looked up at her. She seemed unfazed at the sight of the zombie before her. "Why not? Dad's not here."

"He's about to be! You have, like, two seconds to get OUT OF HERE!"

The door behind them slammed open. In stumbled a middle-aged man with a beer bottle in each hand. While his face was obscured and hazy, it was clear that his eyes shot open at the sight of the TV. "Saki…" he grumbled.

The girl stood up in the chair and turned around. "D-dad!" she screamed.

Saki looked up at the shadowy figure and saw the murderous anger in his eyes. Despite being across the room, she felt the alcohol on his breath and her heart literally stopped. _O-old man… you…_

He threw one of the bottles at her. It smashed on the wall behind her. "HOW MANY TIMES DO I HAVE TO TELL YOU, SAKI?! THAT'S MY CHAIR!"

"I-I'm sorry!" she whimpered, backing off the chair and into a corner. "I-I won't do it again!"

"DAMN RIGHT, YOU WON'T! NOT AFTER I'M DONE WITH YOU!" He raised his other bottle above his head.

Saki froze in her tracks. She knew this confrontation. _I… I gotta do something!_ She attempted to move, but her body refused. _Damn it! Let me do something!_ _  
_

"Takeshi! Don't!" a voice yelled from the door.

The man turned around to see a blonde woman standing in the doorway. "WHAT, WOMAN?! CAN'T YOU SEE I'M DISCIPLINING MY CHILD?!"

"You're tormenting her!" she exclaimed, stepping forward. "Just let her go with a warning!"

"IF I DON'T DO THIS, SHE WON'T LEARN!"

"Learn what?! Learn to hide it better?! The only thing you're teaching her is-" Her rant was cut short as a bottle smashed against the side of her head.

Saki gasped. _Mom! No!_

"QUIET, WOMAN! YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT!" He grabbed her by the throat and held her up.

The child scrambled to her feet and ran up behind him. "Let mom go! She didn't do anything!"

He dropped the woman to the floor, turned around to face the child, and delivered a powerful slap with his free hand.

Saki winced as she felt the sting travel through her cheek. She grabbed it and looked up.

She went flying off her feet and crashed into the wall. She fell to the ground and looked up weakly. "D-dad…"

"YOU ROTTEN CHILD!" he shouted in her face. "I HATE YOUR TRASH BAG FACE!"

"D-don't you love me, dad…?"

"WHY ON EARTH WOULD ANYONE LOVE A CHILD AS TERRIBLE AS YOU?! YOU DON'T DESERVE SOMETHING LIKE THAT! THIS IS WHAT YOU DESERVE!" He raised the bottle neck over his head one last time.

The girl closed her eyes, lowered her head, and prepared for impact.

"NO!" Saki shouted. Before her eyes, the very world she was in fell apart. It contorted and shifted into a void then into a night sky. She shot up out of the garbage bed. She looked around in a panic at the junkyard before her. "It was… a dream…" She grabbed the sides of her head and gritted her teeth. _Don't think about it, don't think about it, don't think about it!_ These thoughts did nothing to improve her mental state. She shook her head and tried to think of other excuses to calm herself down. _It doesn't even matter! He's probably dead, anyways!_ This last thought seemed to work. Her heart slowed back down and her breathing returned to normal. She took a long moment to compose herself before looking up at the bike before her. It was clearly dry. She sighed and stood up, shaking out the rigor mortis that had set in during her nap. She leaned down and picked up the band saw. _If I j_ _ust don't think about it, I'll be fine. I'm fine. I don't need help. I'm fine._


	98. The Producer's Interrogation

Misa skidded to a stop outside the Korosuke warehouse. She took a deep breath, turned off her bike, and stepped off. She slowly made her way to the side door and pushed it open. She was greeted with the sight of a seemingly unconscious brown-haired man in a chair suspended only by the chains restraining him. Three Korosuke girls surrounded him.

Taeko looked up. "Miss Misa! You're here!"

"Yes." She closed the door behind her and walked up to him, forcing a calm demeanor. "How was the break-in?"

"W-well, um… it went pretty well… I mean, we got him."

"I see." She bent down and got on his level. "He's a lot younger than I was expecting. Shades is a fitting nickname, though." She sighed and stood up. "Alright. I'm going to check on the dog. Let me know when he wakes up."

"That won't be necessary," he replied.

She gasped and jumped back, immediately pulling her whip off her hip and cracking it against the ground. "Don't make any sudden movements!"

"I won't."

Her eyes shot to Taeko. "Has he been awake this whole time?!"

She shrugged. "He actually came willingly. He only wants to talk to you."

She stared at the man for another moment. She took a few deep breaths. "What do you want with me?"

"I want to apologize. I should have acted more strictly in terms of letting Sakura use Tae. It's my responsibility to help you as much as I can. I'll tell you anything you want to know."

She stared at him silently for a moment, the only sound in her ears that of her own heartbeat. Slowly, she lowered her hands and stood back up in a normal position. She eyed him cautiously.

He lifted his head up to look at her and sat back in his chair. "I promise you, I have no ill intentions. I've already hurt you as much as I possibly can by turning you into a zombie. And even if I could do any more, I wouldn't."

She raised an eyebrow. "I must say, this is… unexpected."

"Saki and the others clearly handled this situation very poorly if you think so. I'm not dangerous."

She lowered her eyebrows, pulled a chair from the darkness, and sat across from him. She still kept a grip on her whip. "Alright. What do you have to say?"

"How are you feeling, physically?"

"Fine."

"I realize that I've probably made your life a significant amount more difficult."

"Yes."

"I apologize. My intentions were never to drag anyone else into this. I should have stopped as soon as those three jumped off the bridge."

"Yes." She glared at him for a moment before sighing. "But I can't say I'm not to blame for this as well. I'm the one who pressured her into joining Korosuke." She paused for a few seconds before continuing. "Is there a cure?"

He lowered his head. "I'm sorry."

"It's fine. I'll adapt. I've already come to terms with it. The only thing I was really stressed about was you."

"I assure you, I am not someone you have to be worried about. I'm glad you're okay with it."

She shrugged. "It could be worse. At least I didn't turn out like Tae."

"Are there any questions you have for me?"

She brought her hand to her chin. "I had some, but most of them have already been answered by Dorami."

He nodded. "Alright."

"Should we undo the chains?" Taeko asked.

She raised a hand. "Not yet." She leaned in close to the man before her. "Regardless of whether or not I'm a zombie, you've still caused us quite a lot of trouble, Tatsumi."

"What do you mean?"

"Those girls you brought back from the dead. They changed the face of Dorami overnight. Nikaido especially."

"Right."

"And as much as I admire how skilled they are, it's a major inconvenience. They've stolen six bikes from us in the past two weeks and beaten us into incapacitation twice now. They've become a real issue for us. And you're the one responsible for their existence."

"They're their own people. I can't control them."

"And yet you thought you could turn them into idols."

He stared at her silently.

"You really think we only brought you here to deal with the zombie thing? You're the one who brought Dorami back from the brink of death. Now it's a real threat and it's taking swipes at us. We have a real bone to pick with you."

"So what are you going to do with me, then?"

"I'm not sure. Maybe some whipping, maybe some robbing, something of the sort. But one way or another, you're going to pay for what they've done."

"So… I'm not going back home tonight…?"

She howled with laughter. "You must be kidding! We have so much in store for you. There's no way we're letting you go tonight."

Taeko perked up. "U-um, Miss Misa! I don't think that's such a good idea!"

The smile on her face dropped and she turned to her. "Why not?"

"Sakura was there. She saw us take him."

She squinted. "And this is a problem because…?"

"Because she was wearing a Dorami uniform. She joined Dorami. If he's not home by morning, they're gonna know something's wrong and come looking for him. And when they find him, they'll find her, too."

Her eyes shot open. "What?! Why didn't you tell me sooner?!"

"W-we j-just found out!" she sputtered out.

She groaned and put her face in her palm. "Great… so we have to release him." After a moment, she perked back up. "Wait a second. You never answered my question earlier. Did you ever knock him out while taking him here?"

"U-um, he said he could act knocked out, so…"

"You IDIOT, TAEKO! NOW HE KNOWS WHERE THE WAREHOUSE IS!" Misa's shouting echoed throughout the warehouse.

"Hrragh?" a familiar voice grunted from behind the wall.

"So Tae is here," Koutarou observed. "Misa, you have to return her to me. She's too dangerous."

"Gag him," Misa ordered.

He grunted as a piece of duct tape was wrapped around his mouth. Whoever was doing it was not merciful, wrapping the entire roll around the back of his head and back over the mouth multiple times before breaking it off.

"Now, if we don't release him, Dorami will immediately begin hunting for him and eventually find us here. But if we do release him, he'll lead Dorami directly to us to bring back Tae." She turned to Taeko. "I'm demoting you. You've put Operation Dogmeat in jeopardy. This insolence is inexcusable."

"Y-yes, boss…"

She turned to the two other girls in the room. "You two. Keep an eye on him while I gather my advisors. We need to figure out what to do with him."

"Yes, boss!" they both chanted in unison.

She gave him one last glare then opened the door and walked out. "Come on, Taeko. You're going to explain to them why we even need to have this conversation."

The girl sulked and followed her out the door. It slammed shut behind her, leaving the three of them alone.

"Did you bring your Switch?" one girl asked.

"Yeah," the other replied. "Lemme grab it out of my bag."

Koutarou gulped. Turning himself in was the worst decision he could have possibly made.


	99. The Search

Sakura's eyes opened slowly. The morning light from the windows was warm and she felt quite comfortable just laying in bed. She heard the birds chirping outside and felt at peace with herself and the world. _Ahhh… just a few more minutes…_ She smiled and slowly closed her eyes again. Suddenly, she remembered and shot up. "Koutarou-san!" She scrambled to her feet and ran out of the room, blankets flying everywhere. She ran down the stairs and to the end of the hall, where she found Koutarou's door wide open just as he had left it. "Koutarou-san…?" She peered in and found no trace of him. _Maybe he's in the office!_ She ran through the house over to the office and threw open the door. "Welcome ho-" She stopped.

Sitting on the couch before her was Yuugiri, petting a clearly anxious Romero. "Sakura-han. Good morning."

"W-where's Koutarou-san?" she asked, her voice slowly increasing in worry.

She shook her head. "I'm not sure. He's not home yet."

She gasped and looked at the clock on the wall. It was already 9:36 AM. "What?! He should be here by now!"

"I know." She placed the toy poodle down on the couch next to her. And sighed. "My instincts tell me that something terrible has happened to him."

Her heart nearly jumped out of her chest. _N-no! We have to do something!_ Her eyes drifted to the desk, where she saw the piece of paper Maria had written her phone number on the night before. She grabbed it. "I'm gonna be right back!" She turned and sprinted back down the hallway to Koutarou's room. Once inside, she spotted the cell phone on his nightstand and grabbed it. She turned it on and hit 'Emergency Call' to bypass the passcode he had put on it since the Okoba incident. She quickly typed in the number and held it up to her ear.

After a couple seconds of ringing, a familiar voice came through. "Uhh… hello?"

"Maria-chan! It's Sakura! Something terrible has happened!"

* * *

Saki's eyes opened as someone lightly shook her shoulder. "Wh… what?"

"Saki, are you doing better?" Junko asked.

"I'm fine… I'm not thinking about any of that crap anymore." She slowly sat up, rubbing her head. After a long night of work, she had finally returned home at around 6 AM. The sun had already started rising, so she had just ran inside and jumped right into bed. She hadn't even changed out of her uniform.

"Good, because we need to go right now," Ai stated.

She turned around and looked up. All three of the other girls were staring down at her, already in uniform. "Huh? Are we late or something?"

"No!" Lily exclaimed. "But Shades got kidnapped by Korosuke!"

She stared blankly at her. "Seriously?"

"Come on! Get up! We're leaving right now!"

 _Why the hell should we care?_ She brought her hand to her chin. _I guess it would be a good chance to fuck with Korosuke again. Maybe Misa'll even be there. Plus, he's apparently Sakura's old friend from when she was alive… I guess we should help._ "Fine," she groaned, rising to her feet.

Ai turned around and walked out of the room. "Alright, Sakura, we're on our way. Can you do me a favor and draw a map of Karatsu on the chalkboard in the dungeon?"

"Aww, we're going back to the dungeon?" Lily whined, following her out.

Saki shook out her arms and legs to even out the stiffness. A chorus of pops and snaps erupted from her body. She looked up to see Junko was still staring at her. "What?"

She turned around. "Nothing."

"I told you, I'm fine. You shouldn't waste your time worrying about someone like me. Just forget about what happened last night. We got a lot to do today."

She sighed and walked out of the room.

"Tsk…" She slipped on her jacket and walked out of the room after them. _Whatever. Let's just think about today._

* * *

Maria opened the front door of the mansion and was greeted by the four remaining zombies. "Good. You're here. Get inside. Don't bother taking off your boots, the dungeon is super gross."

"I know, right?" Lily complained.

She turned around and walked out of the genkan down the hall.

The four zombies walked into the house and looked down at the floor. There was plenty of broken glass and bootprints. "Oh, jeez…" Saki muttered to herself. "Those Korosuke bitches sure know how to make a mess…"

"Yeah." She turned the corner and opened a door, revealing a staircase leading down into the basement. "After you."

The five walked down the stairs and pushed open the steel door to find Sakura and Yuugiri already present in the room.

"Hello again," Yuugiri greeted. She sat in the same chair she had sat in the morning they all woke up.

Sakura was putting the finishing touches on a map of Karatsu she had drawn on the board, complete with rivers, mountains, and even certain key streets and locations. She looked up at the girls entering. "Ai-chan! I drew the map!"

She gave a thumbs up. "It looks good! Now go sit down so we can get started."

"Right!" She put down the chalk and sat down in the chair in the middle.

Junko took a seat between Sakura and Yuugiri.

Saki sat down in the chair she had sat in the morning she woke up with her legs crossed up on the chair.

Lily sat down between Saki and Sakura. Her feet dangled above the ground loosely.

Maria walked to the front of the room and put her hands on her hips. "Alright, everyone!" she yelled. "Today, we're gonna search the whole damn town to get Shades back! I don't care how long it takes, we're gonna get this crap done, so I don't wanna hear any whining from any of you! Bandages has our plan already, so listen up!" She walked over and sat down next to Saki, crossing her legs on the chair just as she had. "Go ahead."

An impressed grin spread across Saki's face and she glanced at the girl to her left. _Damn, she sounded a lot like a real leader back there._

Ai picked up the chalk and took a deep breath. "Okay, everyone. What we're going to do today is a standard sweep of the city. So first, we'll split into three teams of two." She turned and numbered 1, 2, and 3 on the board. "Team one is gonna be Saki and Maria. Team two is Junko and I. Team Three is Lily and Sakura. Each team has one person with a cell phone and one person who can fight." She turned around. "Team one, you two will be going down to Misa's apartment and getting info from there. Teams two and three, in the meantime, will start searching Karatsu. If the Misa plan doesn't work, team one will start searching, too." She turned around and started sketching thick lines that cut through the streets, sectioning the city into 3 clear-cut areas. "Team one will search central Karatsu. This includes both sides of the river and parts of the mountains. Team two will search the east side. That's everything from the farmland to the very east all the way up to the inner edge of Kagamiyama, including the forests. Team three will search the west and north sides, starting from the park we found Sakura in and extending to the mountains westward." She turned back around. "Any questions so far?"

Maria leaned forward and pointed at the board. "How are we divvying Nijimonat- Ninjimoba- Nimb-"

"Nijinomatsubara," Sakura said for her.

"Yeah. That. The damn forest in the middle. How are we splitting it?"

Ai turned around and pointed with the chalk. "You guys can take the whole thing. Junko and I have to comb through thousands of farms."

"That's fair."

"What happens if we don't find him in those three areas?" Sakura asked.

She turned back around. "Then we'll search again, and after that we'll send team two to search Saga and team three to search Imari. Team one will camp outside Misa's apartment. She'll have to come home eventually."

"What do we do when we find him?" Junko asked.

"We call each other on the phone and regroup nearby. That's when we go into phase two."

"Phase two?" Saki asked, raising an eyebrow.

She looked at her. "Yeah. That's the part where you beat everyone up."

Her face lit up. _Oh, hell yeah!_

Sakura cocked her head. "Is there a specific plan for that, or…?"

Saki glanced over at her. _Girl's got a lot of questions…_

Ai shrugged. "Last time we tried to plan for a fight, it blew up in our faces. It's better to think fast and work with what's going on in the moment when it comes to that kind of stuff. I figure if we leave it up to Saki, we should be fine."

"How do we tell where he is?" Lily asked.

"We'll keep an eye out for Korosuke bikes and members. Also, follow any that you see." She paused for a moment. "Any other questions?"

She was met with total silence.

She turned back to the board and started drawing a new diagram. "The best way to search is by prowling slowly and keeping your eyes peeled, moving in rows down parallel streets. You'll also want to check any alleyways that aren't visible from the road. Don't be afraid to trespass to find him." She turned to Saki and Maria. "You two should definitely be checking parking lots for bikes because most of what you're searching is residential. If you do have to search, remember that when you're searching areas on foot, we keep as quiet as possible. We don't want to tip them off that we're there and give them time to escape or hide. That goes for Junko and I as well." She put down the chalk. "That's pretty much the whole plan for right now. It's fairly simple, but then again, sweeps in general are apparently a really simple concept. Once we find the place, I'll make a new plan concerning how we break in and rescue him."

"Damn, she's really good at planning," Maria whispered.

"You should have seen her Thursday night," Lily replied.

"Excuse me, Ai-han…" Yuugiri interrupted. "Can I be of any use?"

She brought her hand to her chin. "I guess you could ride with Sakura… a third pair of eyes will help the search." She turned to Saki. "Is that okay?"

She shrugged. "I mean, I don't see why not. If she can wheelie, I'm sure she can carry a passenger."

"So, is that it, then?" Maria asked.

Ai nodded. "I think so. Not unless anyone else has any questions."

She stood up and crossed her arms. "Then I think we're good. Dorami, let's roll!"

* * *

Saki banged on the door. "Hey, Misa! Open up! We know you got Shades! Where the hell are you keeping him?!" She paused and waited for a response, but got none. "Damn it, Misa! Open the damn door!" She lifted up her boot and kicked it. "Damn it, open up!"

One of the neighbors slowly opened their door and peered out.

She turned and shot him a serious glare. "I don't know who the hell you are, but you stay out of this!"

He immediately slammed the door shut.

"Hey, Saki, look at this." Maria stood in front of the window as she pried it open. "Looks like she didn't close it all the way."

"Oh, really?" Suddenly, an idea popped into her head and a devilish grin spread across her face. "Okay, hold on." She grabbed her right arm with her left and pulled it off, holding it right at the end. She extended her left arm toward the girl before her. "Here. Pull this off."

A wide smile spread across her face. "Are we about to sneak in?"

"You bet your damn ass we are."

She eagerly grabbed the girl's arm and yanked it off. She grabbed it by the end and held it through the window, twisting her arm around the corner toward the door. "Is that long enough?"

She slapped with her right hand and felt the door move beneath it. "Yeah, we're there. Move me up and down a bit. We gotta find the lock."

She slowly maneuvered the girl up and down. "You know, this is like some spy movie shit."

"Haha, yeah." She felt a small bump under her forearm. "Wait, I feel it, but we're past it. Pull me away from the door until I tell you to stop." She felt the deadbolt slide under her arm toward her hand and grabbed it. "Got it!"

"Awesome! Turn it!"

She grabbed it and twisted it. With a click, the door unlocked. She twisted her left hand downward so her right could grab the knob and twisted it. Finally, she simply lifted up her foot and pushed the door open. "That's how it's done!"

Maria laughed and pulled her arms back through the window. "Seriously? That worked? Holy crap. Let me get these back on so we can high-five." She pushed her left arm back down the zombie's sleeve and twisted it on.

Saki finished the job, twisting her right arm back into place. Afterwards, she looked up and, with a massive grin, high-fived the girl before her. "Hell yeah!"

"Yeah! Hell yeah!" She turned and walked into Misa's apartment. The woman was nowhere to be found. Her face fell. "Oh… I actually don't think she's here."

"Wait, really?" She walked past her into the bedroom, then checked the bathroom. Both were completely empty. "Crap. So that was a massive waste of time."

Maria shrugged. "Hey, at least we know we can break into places now using your zombie powers."

"Oh, yeah, that's cool, I guess." She walked out the door with the girl behind her. "Anyway, I guess we better go sweep."

"Right." She turned and closed the door behind her. "You think we should lock this?"

"She just kidnapped Sakura's childhood friend. Whaddya think?"

"Alright, you got a point." She put her hands in her pockets and walked down the stairs. "We going to Tori tonight?"

She gasped. "Oh, hell yeah! I totally forgot!" She jumped over the balcony and landed on the ground below with a soft grunt. "This time, let's make sure Korosuke doesn't show up," she snickered.

She climbed onto her bike. "Or, if they do show up and we don't have Shades back yet, we go over and beat the crap out of them."

She shrugged as she sat down on her own bike and put on her sunglasses. "That could work too, yeah. Anyways, let's ride!"

* * *

Ai and Junko pulled up at the top of Mount Kagamiyama and turned off their bikes. They rolled them both into one normal parking spot and looked around. The mountain was actually somewhat populated due to it being a Sunday. "I think it's fine if we talk with this many people around," Ai stated.

Junko nodded. "I agree." She turned to the edge of the parking lot overlooking the cliff. "Do you think he could be down there?"

She shrugged. "It's possible. Can't hurt to check." She jogged over to the edge and looked down. "Whoa, this is way higher up than it looks at night."

"Is it really?" She looked over the edge. "Wow… and Sakura only sustained minor injuries from falling from this high…"

"Do you see anything?"

She shook her head. "Nothing."

She sighed and pushed away from the barrier. "Alright, let's check the shrine, then."

"I don't think we've actually been over there… it's always been this parking lot." She turned and started walking toward the shrine.

She shrugged. "I mean, it's not everyday that we can just be tourists. And we aren't even that, since we live in Saga now. We'd just be visitors, I guess."

She turned to her. "Have you thought about going back to Tokyo since the incident the night we woke up?"

She shook her head. "I kind of realized that idea was far-fetched once we got that reaction from those guys. Maybe one day we can all go back there with our makeup, but for the time being, I'm fine here."

The two crossed the road together and stepped into the main area before the shrine. It was large and flat with multiple branching pathways spreading into the woods. Spread throughout were a number of Torii gates. All around, the blossoming trees of spring gave the area an almost heavenly feel.

"Oh, wow… this place is beautiful…" Junko gushed.

"Well, it is nice, but we don't really have time to be enjoying the scenery right now. We've got to find Koutarou." Ai peered into the forest, keeping an eye out for any pink articles of clothing.

"Perhaps we should come here on one of our days off and enjoy ourselves… just the two of us."

She sighed. "At this point, we have so much to do on our days off already. I honestly can't even keep track of it all."

"You should make a list," Junko suggested.

She laughed softly. "You're so full of good ideas." She waved her hand. "Quit being cute. We seriously have to find him and you're distracting."

"C-cute…?" She blushed intensely.

She quickly realized what she had said and turned around. She was also blushing herself. "I-I mean… you know… just… let's do our jobs!" She yelled, turning back around and staring into the woods.

"R-right… Now is a bad time…" She stared off into the forest as well, making sure to avoid looking at the girl next to her in her peripheral vision.

After a moment, the tension died back down. The two made their way around the outside of the shrine checking the surrounding foliage before realizing something important. "Wait…" Junko mumbled.

She looked over. "What is it?"

"Why would they be hiding him here when there are so many people? That doesn't make sense. Wouldn't they hide him somewhere more remote?"

She blinked. "Oh, right. Duh. Why would he be here?" she laughed. She turned and started walking back toward the parking lot. "If they were gonna keep him in the forest, they'd probably do the one to the north where no one is."

"Then let's move on," Junko smiled. She jogged past her.

"Right." She ran across the road to keep up. "If he's not anywhere else, then we'll check the woods here again. But let's keep moving."

* * *

Unlike the other four, Sakura, Yuugiri, and Lily didn't have as many chances to get off their bikes and talk. They were too busy riding through Karatsu's northern sections and keeping their eyes peeled. Besides, Sakura had more important topics on her mind. _Koutarou-san… what could they have done to you…? Maybe Misa didn't understand…?_ She shook her head. _No, if she had already dealt with him, then she would have gone home and we would have gotten a call telling us where to go by now… I'm sure he's still alive, but just-_

"There!" Yuugiri pointed. "Look, Sakura-han!"

"Huh?" She turned her head to see two Korosuke girls standing outside a large warehouse taking a smoke break. She gasped. _There they are!_

Lily pulled ahead and held up her hand, signaling for the girl behind her to follow her. She sped up and rode past the warehouse, stopping in a parking lot nearby. She turned off her engine and immediately pulled out her phone.

Sakura pulled up next to her and turned off her engine as well. "Lily-chan, you saw that, right?"

"Yup! I'm calling Maria-chan right now!" She held her phone up to her ear. After a moment on the dial tone, she spoke. "Maria-chan! We found it~!" she sang.

She turned and looked at the warehouse confidently. _We're coming, Koutarou-san…_


	100. The Turned Tables

Finally, Ai and Junko pulled into the parking lot and shut off their bikes. Junko turned and looked at the concrete warehouse across the street. "Is that it?"

"That's the one!" Lily answered happily.

Maria looked at Ai. "Alright, Bandages. Here we are. You have a plan for breaking in?"

"Actually, I was hoping to get some more information about the place first." She turned and stared at it. "But I'm not sure we can do very well if all we can see is the outside."

The girls all lowered their heads in disappointment.

Sakura gasped. "Wait, don't warehouses normally have windows on top so sunlight comes in? We can send someone up there to go peek!"

Saki grinned and stood up. "Nice thinking, Egghead!"

She stared up at her. "Actually, it's Blackout now…"

She squinted. "Huh?"

Lily raised her hand. "I came up with it, Saki-chan! Isn't it good?"

"It's in reference to how she loses her memory when blacking out," Ai explained. "We all agreed it sounded pretty good."

Saki put her hand to her chin. "Actually, that's not bad. Alright, Blackout. Good job." She turned to the building across the street. "Now how to climb that thing…"

"Maybe you could just jump up there…?" Sakura suggested.

Lily shook her head. "We can jump super high, but not THAT high. She'll probably have to find a ladder or something."

"Perhaps she could jump from an adjacent building?" Junko proposed.

"There ARE no adjacent buildings," Maria pointed out. "This warehouse is in the middle of a huge empty lot. How the hell can they afford this thing?"

"Yeah, I thought the tires were just SO expensive," Lily joked.

"Haha! We should say that one when we see Misa. That would piss her off so bad."

Saki inspected the building and noticed that along the side facing them, there were evenly spaced pillars of concrete protruding from the wall. "You guys think I can wall jump up those pillar things?"

"Um… I dunno," Lily replied.

"It's worth a shot, I guess," Sakura stated.

"Just don't tip them off that we're here," Ai reminded her.

"Yeah, yeah," Saki replied. She quietly ran across the street and made her way over to the wall of the warehouse. Upon closer inspection, the pillars were around three meters apart and half a meter thick. _I can grab the other side of them and jump across…_ While keeping an eye out for Korosuke members, she jumped up one of the pillars and latched onto it. Looking down, she was around three meters off the ground already. She took a deep breath, keeping her hand steady, and jumped across the gap, turning around and grabbing onto the next pillar. She found this to be remarkably intuitive, instinctively grabbing the pillar with her other arm. She smiled. _This should be easy!_ She jumped back and forth the whole way up and eventually reached the roof. She started pulling herself up, but soon realized the roof was made of metal and was extremely hot as a result. "Crap!" she whispered. She rolled her sleeve over her hand and pulled herself onto the roof using that. Finally, she stood up and turned around, looking back across the street at her crew below her. She held up a thumbs up.

Maria, Lily, and Sakura were clearly cheering silently. The others seemed to be discussing her actions amongst themselves.

She smiled smugly and turned back around. Before her was a grid of pyramid-shaped skylights. She walked over to the nearest one and peered down. All she could see was her own face. _Ugh._ She put her hands around her eyes to block out the sun and smiled slightly as she could now see inside. Her smile slowly contorted into a twisted grin, though, as she realized what was in store.

Within the warehouse was a number of interesting things. In one corner was a line of tatami mats with six sleeping Korosuke girls within. In another corner was a large pile of deflated tires. They seemed to be the ones that Ai and Sakura had shot with the nail gun. In another corner was a large wall of boxes, around a story and a half tall, beyond which was clearly Koutarou Tatsumi bound to a chair. The chair had been knocked over so that he was sleeping on his side. Around him was a multitude of Korosuke members, including Misa. But the true treasure of the warehouse was what lay in the middle. Sitting on the ground clear as day was a dog cage containing none other than the legendary Tae Yamada, guarded by three incredibly bored Korosuke members.

She covered her mouth and started snickering. _Oh my god, this is priceless!_ She rose to her feet. _I gotta tell Bandages!_ She calmly walked back across the roof and stepped off the side of the building, falling three stories to the ground below. She landed on her feet but felt a sharp pain shoot up her legs. She fell to her knees. _Aw, damn, that hurt. Gotta land better next time._ She stood back up, looked left and right for Korosuke members, and ran back across the street to her crew.

"Well?" Ai asked.

She put her hands up in front of her and chuckled softly. "Okay, seriously, you're gonna get a kick outta this. It's totally a trap, but I just saw their whole entire plan. We can totally catch them off-guard. It'll be hilarious."

"Is Koutarou-san there?" Sakura asked.

"Oh, yeah. Tae, too."

The girls before her gasped. Yuugiri merely nodded. "It seems our plan should encompass recovering both of them, then."

Maria turned to Ai. "Bandages, this is your deal. What's the procedure?"

She brought her hand to her chin. "Saki, tell me everything you saw. Every last detail. This should be really good if we play our cards right."

* * *

Sakura skidded to a stop in front of the warehouse with Yuugiri holding on to her waist tightly. She scowled at the two girls smoking before her. "You two! Where's Koutarou-san?!"

They each looked up. "Sakura? Wait, is it just you two?" one asked.

Yuugiri stepped off the bike. "What are you talking about?"

"Just tell us where he is!" Sakura shouted.

"In your dreams!" the other smoker yelled. They each threw their cigarettes to the ground and ran to a small side door. They threw it open and stepped inside, slamming it shut behind them.

"Wow, this is so clearly a trap," Ai muttered as she stepped around the corner of the warehouse.

"It's like they're not even trying to hide it anymore," Maria shrugged, walking up beside her.

"Now, now. We musn't relax. Our job isn't over yet," Yuugiri reminded them. She looked up at the roof and gave a silent nod to Saki, Lily, and Junko.

Lily gave a thumbs up and the three girls disappeared from sight.

"Alright, get in there, you too," Maria ordered. "Remember the signal."

Sakura nodded. "Right!" She ran over to the door and threw it open. She gasped at the sight of the idol manager laying on the ground, bound by chain and tape. "Koutarou-san!" She ran forward and bent over next to him, placing a hand on his cheek. "Are you okay?" While her actions were greatly exaggerated, her concern was genuine.

Yuugiri ran up behind her. "He's unconscious, Sakura-han. Let's just bring him out of here."

"Right!" She put her hands under him and pretended to lift. "Mmmmph!"

"You should lift with your knees, not your back," a voice behind them taunted.

She gasped and turned around to see a pair of glowing red eyes staring into her very soul from the shadows. "M-Misa!"

She stepped forward into the light, flexing her whip. "Hello again, Sakura."

The door slammed shut and a group of eight other girls stepped forward with her.

"I see your friends in Dorami are treating you well," she continued. "It's a shame they couldn't make it." She turned to Yuugiri. "And this is the one I haven't met yet. Would you be a dear and tell me your name?"

She bowed. "My name is Yuugiri. I am a courtesan from the Meiji Era. Pleased to make your acquaintance."

Sakura turned to her. "Don't be nice to her!" she scolded. "She kidnapped Koutarou-san! She isn't your acquaintance!"

"Oh, right. My apologies."

She turned back to Misa. "What do you want with him?! You know he doesn't want to hurt you, right?!"

"Yes, I'm aware. Learning that was quite a relief."

"Then why didn't you let him go?!"

"He knows too much. And now that you know where this warehouse is, so do you."

She gritted her teeth. "This is where you're keeping Tae-chan, isn't it?" she asked despite already knowing the answer.

She shook her head. "See? Even someone as simple-minded as you could figure it out. So now we have to do something about you, too." A smug smile spread across her face. "It really would have been much smarter to come with backup, you know."

She smirked and put her arms behind her head. "I never said I didn't."

Suddenly, there was the sound of glass shattering from above.

Misa looked up. "What the…?!"

"WOOHOO!" Saki shouted as she fell from the skylight. She landed between Sakura and Misa with a squat. She slowly stood up and put her hands on her hips. "How's that for an entrance?!"

She gasped. "Nikaido!"

She laughed. "Damn right!" She looked around. "Gotta say, Misa. This place is pretty nice. Weird how you can afford it though, since tires are just so damn expensive these days."

Down dropped Lily and Junko, who each landed atop the wall of boxes. They each turned around. "Sakura-chan! Throw him!" Lily yelled.

"Right!" Together, she and Yuugiri picked up Koutarou and tossed him up into the air toward the two girls.

This seemed to wake him up, as he immediately started kicking his legs and shouting from beneath the tape. He clearly did not like being thrown.

Lily and Junko caught him and dropped down to the area beyond the wall together. "Calm down, Koutarou-san. We're here to rescue you," Junko said softly.

Misa's face was one of utter shock. The surprise drop-in from the ceiling had destroyed any chances her initial plan had of succeeding.

The door opened behind her and in rushed Ai and Maria. "Doesn't feel so good to have your plan go wrong, does it, Misa?" Maria taunted as she punched a stunned Korosuke member in the face.

"This is a taste of your own medicine," Ai added smugly, kicking another's knees so that she fell to the ground.

Saki turned to Sakura. "You go get Tae. I'll handle this."

She nodded. "Right!" Immediately, she turned and jumped up the pile of boxes. While her jump wasn't quite enough to make it up, she grabbed a ledge and was able to get a second jump to make it up the rest of the way. She dropped over the edge and disappeared from sight.

Misa recomposed herself and smiled. "You know, I underestimated you, Saki."

"When do you not?" She cracked her knuckles. "You ready to get your ass beat again?"

She looked around at her subordinates, who had all either been defeated or given up and dropped to the ground on their own accord. She noticed a familiar nail gun pointed right at her head and winced. "You know what? I think my chances of winning are a little lower than usual. Besides. I have more important business to attend to." She turned, jumped up against the wall of the warehouse, and kicked off, gaining a massive amount of height and flying over the wall of boxes.

"H-holy crap!" Maria shouted in shock.

"After her!" Yuugiri ordered, immediately copying her movements. She kicked off the wall and soared beyond the crates gracefully.

"How the hell did she do that?!" Saki yelled in shock.

"Whatever! We don't have time!" Maria replied, quickly running over and climbing the boxes. "Let's go!"

* * *

Sakura landed on the ground just as Junko was pulling off the final piece of tape covering Koutarou's mouth. "Koutarou-san, are you okay?"

Finally, his mouth was free. "Oww! That hurts!" he moaned.

"Oh, shut up," Lily groaned as she started picking the lock holding his chains in place.

"Are you sure you can pick locks, Lily-chan?" Junko asked as she slowly separated the man's hair from the tape.

"I haven't actually tried it yet, but I looked it up… I think I can…" She stuck her tongue out one side of her mouth and concentrated.

Sakura looked toward the center of the room. "Tae-chan!"

The girl in the cage immediately perked up and rushed toward her, crashing into one of the walls of the cage. "HRAAURHHHAH!" She started gnawing on the bars in an attempt to set herself free.

"What the?! They're over the wall!" one of the three girls guarding Tae yelled.

Sakura turned back to the group with her anxiously. "Get him out faster!"

"I'm working as fast as I can!" Lily replied angrily. "This is my first time!"

"I have handcuffs on, too, you STUPID ZOMBIE!" Koutarou shouted. "I'M GONNA BE HERE A WHILE!"

"Quit shaking! You're making it harder!"

"Oh. Sorry."

Finally, Junko removed the last of the tape from his hair. "There. There might be some residue left, but I got most of-" She stopped as she noticed a figure flying overhead. "Huh…?"

Misa landed in front of them and turned around with a scowl. "You aren't going anywhere!"

"M-Misa!"

Yuugiri touched down softly between the two opposing sides. "Misa-han! Stop this nonsense! Tae is not yours to control!"

She cracked her whip against the ground. "We'll see about that."

She softened her glare. "I see." She reached into her sleeve and produced a paper fan, opened it before her face, and eyed the zombie before her. "Then I hope you're prepared to defend that opinion."

She gritted her teeth. "HUOOOOOOOAH!" she shouted as she flung her whip toward her.

The courtesan gracefully jumped over it, twirling through the air. The attack flew beneath her in the blink of an eye.

She blinked, took a step back, and swung again, this time aiming higher. "HRRAHGH!"

She ducked under it fantastically, delicately performing a successful evasion.

"Whoa…" Lily whispered.

With every crack Misa gave, Yuugiri neatly and elegantly avoided it. After long enough, her onslaught turned more and more into a series of desperate attempts to land something, anything. "Gh- Stop avoiding my attacks!" she shouted.

Saki dropped to the ground with Maria on her back. "Now's our chance!" She released the girl and turned to Sakura. "Blackout! I'll guard you while you break Braindead out the cage!" She turned around. "The rest of you, get Shades out of that damn chair!"

Sakura nodded. "Right!" She sprinted toward the cage with the zombie next to her. As she approached the three guards, she merely jumped over them. "Hah!"

"What the- GYUK!" one of the guards exclaimed as she was kicked in the gut.

She landed on top of the cage and looked down. "Tae-chan, I'm gonna get you outta there! Stay calm!" She quickly looked for the cage's door and found it on the side facing away from the crate wall. She climbed down and reached for the door mechanism but found that it was kept in place by a combination lock. _No! How am I supposed to open this?!_

Saki threw one Korosuke girl into another then ran over to her. "What's the holdup? Open it already!"

She looked up. "I don't know the code!"

"Well then who does?"

"I do," an unknown voice answered.

The two turned to see an orange-haired girl standing behind them. "Kozue-san?!" Sakura exclaimed.


	101. The Triumph

Kozue eyed Sakura up and down and gave a satisfied nod. "I see you're doing something with your damn life."

"Um… yeah…" She cocked her head. "What are you doing here?" she asked, genuinely curious.

She stared at her blankly. "I still work for Korosuke, dumbass! I'm the one in charge of Operation Dogmeat!"

"Operation Dogmeat?" Saki questioned.

She rolled her eyes. "Training Tae."

"Tsk!" She rushed forward and grabbed her by the collar. "Then what's the code, damn it?!" she shouted.

For a moment, Misa stopped her assault on Yuugiri and looked over at the action happening next to the cage. "Kozue, don't you dare let them open that cage!" she shouted, sprinting toward them. She threw her whip to the ground.

Saki dropped the girl and turned with a smug smile. "I guess we get to fight after all." She stepped back into a stance. "Hit me with your best shot!"

"HRROOOOOUGH!" she shouted, throwing out a furious flurry of kicks.

She blocked every single one and leaned forward to deliver a swift punch to the throat which was caught and thrown away. She threw another which merely grazed her neck. "Don't have time for banter, huh?"

She delivered a strong kick to the girl's side which did little to nothing, put her foot back down, and began throwing out punches. "I didn't know you liked talking to me so much."

She shrugged as she stepped back and delivered a hook kick to her head, shortly disabling her. "I mean, it's fun." She landed by delivering a knee strike into the woman's chest, which seemed to have no effect. "Oh, you're not breathing, either. You're getting better at fighting."

"Now I have a reason to," she replied as she looked beyond her and nodded quickly.

Saki turned around just in time to catch a crowbar that was headed straight for her head. She smiled as the girl on the other end of it squirmed. She punched her in the face with her other hand, sending her falling to the ground. With a flick of the wrist, she tossed the crowbar on top. "How many times do I have to tell you Korosuke bitches, you can't- GWUH!"

Misa caught her in a headlock and pulled her back. With her free hand, she grabbed Saki's left, immobilizing her. "Ha! You shouldn't get so distracted!"

She grabbed at the arm around her neck with her right hand. "Damn…" she choked out. She started bending over in an attempt to throw the woman over her shoulders, but she simply lifted her feet off the ground in response.

"Saki-chan!" Sakura yelled, rushing forward to help. She was quickly tackled by three Korosuke girls who had risen from their beds to help. "Ow! Let go of me!"

Misa let out a smug laugh. "You know, Saki, I had pictured holding you in my arms going a lot differently."

She lowered her eyebrows in confusion. _What the hell is that supposed to mean…?!_

She looked up. "Kozue. Come over here and hit her for me."

Kozue blinked. "Huh?"

"Come over and hit her. Knock her head off like she did to me. It's only fair."

"Don't do it, Kozue-san!" Sakura shouted. "We're only trying to do what's best for Tae-chan!"

"Will you shut up?!" she yelled. "Why would she listen to you?!"

Kozue turned and looked down at her. "Yeah. I don't need you to tell me what to do." She turned back to Misa and Saki.

She moved her head back, leaving ample distance between the two girls' skulls. "Go ahead. Whenever you're ready."

She closed her eyes and let out a cocky smile. "Nah."

She squinted and lowered the girl in her arms slightly. "What? That was an order!"

"Yeah, fuck your orders. Don't need YOU telling me what to do, either." Seemingly out of nowhere, she produced a baseball bat and swung it up at her boss' head, connecting with a solid _bonk_. Her swing disconnected her head and sent it soaring into the air. "SEEYA!"

"No way!" Misa shouted as her head sailed through the warehouse.

"Ooh, now that was a clean hit."

Saki used her free arm to push on Misa's headlock from below and pop her own head off. She simply walked out of the hold, ripped her left arm back, grabbed her head, and twisted it back on. _Damn it… I hate doing that._

"Kozue-san…?!" Sakura asked in admiration.

Kozue glanced down at the girls laying on top of her. "You three. Off of her. Now."

They all quickly backed off, leaving the zombie to climb back up to her feet.

Saki turned and pushed Misa's body over before turning back to the girl before her. "Uh, thanks, I guess." _I could have done that myself, though… I just needed a minute to figure out how._

"Don't mention it." She knelt down and started entering the combination to the lock. "We shouldn't be using the damn zombie. It's stupid. I'm so sick of taking orders from her."

"Wait, Kozue… are you defecting?!" one of the three girls asked.

She shrugged. "I dunno. Maybe. I know I'm totally quitting, though. Sick of doing all this crap all the time." She undid the lock and opened the cage door, freeing Tae.

"Gruuahh!" she purred, running forward and chewing on Sakura's arm happily.

She smiled and patted her head. "Hi, Tae-chan." She looked up. "Thanks, Kozue-san."

"Yeah, whatever. I don't know why she even brought her back here." She climbed to her feet. "Guess I should go find Misa's head so I can quit to her face."

"I got it!" Maria yelled, running over to the group holding a silver-haired head above her own.

Misa avoided eye contact with the group staring at her. "This is humiliating."

"Hey, Misa! I quit!" Kozue yelled.

She glared at her. "Good! I was going to fire you anyway!"

"It seems we have everything we came for," Yuugiri observed. "Perhaps we should take our leave?"

Saki glanced back at the group with Koutarou to see Ai and Junko hastily unwrapping the chain while Lily danced around excitedly. "Yeah. Sounds good to me."

Misa climbed to her feet and plucked her head from Maria's hands. "Hold on a minute! If you think this is over, you're dead wrong!"

"I'm pretty sure we're just dead," Sakura quipped. She turned and started walking away, dragging a limp Tae along with her.

Maria, Saki, Yuugiri, and Kozue were quick to follow. "So, Kozue, you interested in Dorami?" Maria asked. "Saw what you did back there. Crazy shit."

She shrugged. "Thanks, but I think I'm gonna take a break from being a biker for now. I'm a little burnt out. I'll keep it in mind, though." She pulled a key out of her pocket and split off from the group. "Saki, we should race sometime!"

She gave a thumbs up. "I'll kick your ass anytime!"

She made her way to a door to the back of the warehouse and stepped out. "I'll see you around!" She closed the door behind her.

Sakura let out a sigh of relief. "I'm just glad we have Tae-chan back…"

"Hey! You're not done!" Misa shouted, marching after them.

Maria glared at her over her shoulder. "Uh, yeah we are. Can't you see us walking away?"

There was a loud _clang_ as Ai and Junko threw the chain to the ground.

Koutarou stood up and stretched his legs with a sigh of relief. He glanced down at the girls around him fondly. "Thank you."

"Yeah, yeah." Saki shrugged as the two groups merged back into one. "It was nothing."

Lily looked up at her. "Saki-chan! Look!" She held up the padlock she had broken into and grinned. "I picked a lock!"

She smiled and jostled her hair. "Nice work, kid! Now do the same on the handcuffs!"

She dropped the lock to the ground and ran around the back to break the man out of his remaining restraints.

She elbowed Maria in the side. "Kid's got serious skills."

Maria smiled and put her arms behind her head. "So, after we take those three back to the mansion, should we go on patrol?"

"Quit ignoring me!" Misa yelled angrily.

The group glanced briefly at her then turned back to themselves. "She really doesn't know when to quit…" Ai sighed.

"None of Korosuke does," Saki laughed.

"You mean aside from Kozue?" Sakura replied.

"Well, yeah, but she's not really Korosuke anymore. That doesn't count."

The handcuffs fell to the ground and Koutarou rubbed his wrists comfortably. He let out a slight smile.

"Whoa, that was fast," Ai observed.

"Handcuffs are a lot easier," Lily explained.

"Well, let's go then," Maria suggested. "Sunday's a good day for tribute."

The group turned toward the nearest door, which happened to be across the warehouse from them. "You know, it's nice to not win by the skin of our teeth," Ai sighed happily.

"You haven't won yet!" Misa yelled, jumping between them and the door. "Not until I say so!"

Maria groaned. "Listen, Misa, can we just go? Your plan fell apart. Big deal. Ours falls apart every other time. Get over it."

"No, you can't go!"

"Why not?" Lily moaned. "You're being so annoying right now!"

"We still have problems, and until one of us is left standing over the other, I won't-"

With one step and a solid twist, Yuugiri delivered a slap to the girl before her that echoed throughout the warehouse. Time seemed to slow down for a moment as she knocked the woman before her off her feet and left a handprint on her cheek.

Misa landed on the ground and looked up in shock silently.

She walked past her, not even paying her any mind. "Now we're standing over you."

"Holy crap!" Maria exclaimed.

"YOOO!" Saki cheered, running after her. "That was AWESOME!"

"Way to go, Yuugiri-san!" Sakura yelled.

Misa watched in stunned silence as the nine walked past her, congratulating the woman who had just delivered the most painful slap she had ever received. She brought a hand up to her cheek and winced at the stinging sensation. Hardly two minutes had passed since she and Sakura had walked in and everything she had been working toward for the last few days had been absolutely demolished. She gritted her teeth. "I'll get you, Dorami…!" she muttered half-heartedly.

"Yeah, right!" Maria replied. And with that, she closed the steel door behind her and simultaneously closed the door on their first big win against Korosuke.


	102. The Calm After The Storm

The six bikes stopped in front of the mansion and everyone hopped off their bikes. All of Dorami immediately ran to each other, laughing and hugging.

"Holy crap, you guys, that was awesome!" Saki cheered, wrapping her arms around Maria and Junko's shoulders. "We kicked their asses! Feels like we've gone from being Marutchi to Tamatchi!"

"From what to what…?" Junko asked.

"Did you guys see the look on Misa's face?!" Lily asked excitedly. "We destroyed them!"

Sakura turned to Ai. "Ai-chan, your plan was incredible! You really are amazing!" She paid no mind to the zombie behind her chewing on her hair.

She let out an embarrassed smile and looked away. "It was nothing, seriously…"

"Oh, don't be so humble," Junko said, nudging her playfully. "It really was a wonderful plan. Both of them were."

"That drop from the roof was genius!" Maria exclaimed. "Shrimpy, Marshmallow, props to you two for landing on top of the wall. I for sure thought at least one of you was gonna miss or fall."

She smiled warmly. "Thank you. It was really scary jumping down from that high, but in the moment I just powered through."

Lily bounced up and down. "That was so exciting! I wanna do it again!"

"We can't do it again," Ai laughed, "but you'll probably have plenty more chances to jump off buildings in the future."

"Hell yeah, she will!" Maria yelled, throwing her fist in the air. "Dorami forever!"

"YEAH!" all five zombies cheered in unison.

"Are you done?" Koutarou asked. He stood outside the circle with his arms crossed.

Saki turned, maintaining her grin. "You wanna die? We're celebrating here!"

"You're welcome, by the way," Ai replied passive-aggressively.

"I ALREADY SAID THANK YOU, YOU DUMBASS ZOMBIES!" he shouted, sending the group before him into stunned silence. He cleared his throat. "Anyways, before you go, I should ask how likely they are to break in again."

Saki shrugged. "I dunno, just get a security system, man. I bet they're like, super advanced now."

"Or just move somewhere else," Maria suggested. "I don't know why you'd wanna keep living here. Looks like a damn haunted house."

"Feels like one, too," Lily added.

"I CAN'T DO THAT, YOU STUPID ZOMBIES! HOW THE HELL DO YOU EXPECT ME TO SELL THIS PLACE WHEN IT'S 'HAUNTED'?!" he hollered, using his fingers to emphasize the quotes. "DO YOU DUMBASS ZOMBIES KNOW HOW THE HOUSING MARKET WORKS, HUH?! NONE OF YOU IDIOT ZOMBIES HAVE EVER OWNED A HOUSE BEFORE, SO I DON'T WANNA HEAR IT FROM ANY OF YOU, UNDERSTAND?!"

"Why does he have to yell at us…?" Junko whispered frightfully.

"Hey, back off, Shades!" Saki shouted, stepping forward. "You wanna die?!"

He put his hands on his hips and stared down at her. "I've had a long night."

"Why would they even want to break in again, though?" Ai asked. "Didn't they come because they thought you wanted to kill Misa?"

"That's right!" Sakura added. "So they shouldn't come back!" She paused for a moment, feeling the zombie behind her tug on her hair with her teeth. "But… if they still want to train Tae-chan, then they have a reason to…"

Saki groaned. "So, great, Braindead is still causing problems."

"Not necessarily… they want the feral Tae, right?" Ai pointed out. "So if we wake her up, then they'll have no reason to come."

"But she didn't wake up when all of you did…" Sakura pointed out. "And she didn't wake up from riding a bike, either… So what would she wake up from?"

Maria shrugged. "Skydiving?" she suggested.

"Ooh, that sounds fun!" Lily cheered. "We should do that sometime! I've never tried before!"

Junko shuddered at the thought of climbing into another plane. She latched onto Ai's arm and shook her head. "We should not…" she whispered.

"Mmmnnnnn…" Tae moaned.

"Oh, we should probably do something with her for right now…" Sakura said, turning around and pulling her hair out of the girl's mouth.

Koutarou reached into his shirt pocket for some squid but found it empty. He looked down to see an empty pocket. "Did they eat my pocket squid…?" he mumbled under his breath. He stared at his lack of delicious seafood longingly.

"It's okay, Koutarou-san! I'll take her inside!" She grabbed Tae by the hand. "Be right back!" She led her through the gates up toward the house.

Yuugiri turned to them. "Thank you all for your help today."

Maria shrugged. "It was nothing. I'm just glad we got a chance to finally style on Korosuke."

"So just get an alarm system and try to wake up Tae and you should be fine," Ai concluded.

He nodded. "Alright."

Yuugiri bowed one last time. "I look forward to seeing you all again. Until then, farewell." She turned and walked through the gates with Koutarou at her side, leaving the five alone.

"Bye, Yuugiri-san!" Lily waved.

She looked back over her shoulder and gave one last wave to the child before stepping into the house.

"You know, she was pretty useful, too," Saki said, putting her arms behind her head. "Sucks that she doesn't wanna be a biker. She'd be great."

"Hey, we should be getting more members soon now that we have these," Maria replied, reaching into her pocket and holding up her business cards.

She scowled. "Those things are so stupid."

"Like them or not, they're a good way to make ourselves more notorious," Ai reminded her. "Trust me, we'll be getting emails from all over soon enough."

"Speaking of new members," Junko asked, "is there anything else we have yet to do for Sakura?"

Saki shook her head. "Pretty sure we're good."

Lily perked up. "Oh, Saki-chan! Sakura-chan's birthday is tomorrow!"

She looked down at the child. "For real? Tomorrow?"

"Yeah! We already invited her to come to the arcade with us!"

A wide smile spread across her face. "Holy crap, I forgot about the arcade!" She turned to Maria. "You coming, too?"

"Yeah," she replied. "You haven't been to an arcade in twenty damn years. No way am I missing your reaction."

She raised an eyebrow. "What's so different about them?"

"All the games are super advanced compared to what you had. You had, like, Pac-Man and stuff, right?"

"Yeah…" Her eyes shot open. "You tellin' me they got rid of Pac-Man?!"

"No, dumbass! They still have Pac-Man! But now they also have crap that's all like… virtual reality in stuff. It's hard to explain. You'll get it tomorrow."

"So, Saki, while Sakura's not here, I wanted to get your opinion on something…" Ai piped up.

"Hit me."

"Well, you know how Sakura was a big fan of mine while I was alive?"

"Yeah."

"Everyone wants me to give her a copy of my old CD for her birthday… what do you think?"

She shrugged. "Sounds like a good gift to me."

She put her head in her hands and groaned. "But that's so embarrassing…" she whimpered. "I don't wanna give her that…"

"What's the big deal?" Maria shrugged. "It's just a CD. Didn't you hand them out to people when you were alive?"

"Yes, but it's different here… she's not buying it, it's a gift."

"I'm sure she'll cherish it," Junko said warmly.

"I know she would. But…" She sighed and pulled her head out of her hands. "It'd be so embarrassing to give that to her. Giving her my own CD for her birthday. Imagine if I did that but I weren't an idol, just some random person who decided to make a CD. That's how it feels. It'd be like if Maria made one and gave it to her."

"My album would be great," Maria shot back. "Probably better than yours."

"Aw, who cares how embarrassing it is?" Saki replied. "If she would like it, then get it for her. C'mon, Bandages. Thought you had guts."

She frowned. "Hey, I have guts!"

"Do you?"

"Yes, I do! You know I do!"

"Then give her the damn CD tomorrow. Prove it."

"Fine, I will!" she replied defensively, crossing her arms.

Maria laughed. "Seriously? That's all it took? Now you'll get it for her just to prove a point?"

She nodded silently.

The door to the mansion slammed open as Sakura reappeared. "Okay! I'm ready!" She ran down the path to the girls before her. "Should we get going?"

Saki smirked deviously. "Yeah, let's go."


	103. The Redundant Emails

By the time lunch rolled around, the group had left dozens of business cards throughout the city. Maria had a signature technique for handing them out: she would hold one between her fingers, say "remember the name," then toss it before turning back to the bikes nonchalantly. Whether they had beat them up or not, they always took the card.

The six bikes were parked in a circle on the roof of the parking garage Sakura and Saki had each rode through separately with Korosuke. The group were all enjoying a post-lunch moment of relaxation. Everyone in the group were laying down across their bikes' seats.

"These seats are so comfortable, Saki-chan…" Sakura sighed in bliss.

"I know, right?" Maria replied. "Seriously, it feels like I could just fall asleep on mine."

Lily giggled quietly. She was holding her phone over her head.

"Whatcha lookin' at, Shrimpy?" Saki asked.

"There are these things called Vines, and they're really funny," she replied. "I'm watching a whole bunch of them."

"Oh, damn, you guys weren't around for Vine…" Maria reminisced. "Now THAT was a time to be alive."

"I know what vines are," Junko said, "but I don't think I understand…"

She shrugged. "It's an internet thing."

"Oh."

"Speaking of internet things, Maria, have you checked the email yet?" Ai asked.

"Uh, no." She took her phone out of her pocket and held it over her head. "Gimme a minute to pull it up." She entered her passcode and navigated through it. After a moment, a white email list popped up and she switched accounts to the Dorami one. She was shocked at what she saw. "A HUNDRED NINETY-FOUR?!"

The girls all shot up and turned to her. "For real?!" Saki yelled.

She scrolled through the list of emails, speechless.

"Lemme see! Lemme see!" Lily cheered, running off her bike and squatting down next to her. "Are there any about me?"

"We didn't hand out that many business cards…" Junko muttered. "Why are there so many messages?"

"Maybe some people sent more than one?" Sakura suggested.

"No, they're all from different people," Maria replied.

"Well, what're you waiting for?" Ai asked. "Read one!"

She tapped on the screen and read aloud. "Hi, I saw your email in a group chat- Tch. Yeah, okay, there it is."

"Someone put our email in a group chat?" Sakura asked.

"That explains why we got so many," Ai nodded.

"Please keep reading!" Junko requested.

Maria continued. "I saw your email in a group chat and wanted to see if you guys are legit. Do you actually have zombies?" She turned and looked at the rest of the girls. "I dunno, do we?" she asked smugly.

Saki rolled her eyes. "Just read the next one."

She swiped and a new message appeared on the screen. "So, are you people real or just some urban legend? Because this is starting to look more and more real." She smiled and turned to the rest of the group.

"People are starting to really notice us," Ai observed.

"Okay, how much of this crap is people asking if we're real?" questioned Saki. "Just get rid of those ones. They're a waste of time."

"You don't think we should tell them that we're real?" Sakura asked.

"You expect us to answer every damn one of those? That's one hell of a lot of emails to write."

Maria shrugged and started flying through emails and deleting all the mundane ones. "Alright. I'll just delete all the crap that's asking about zombies or if we're real or whatever."

Junko turned to Saki. "If only there was a way to prove our legitimacy to a wide audience with one message…"

"What about a YouTube video?" Lily suggested. "We could put it on our homepage so that when people pull it up, that's what they see!"

"That's… not a bad idea, actually," Ai replied.

"Wait, I still don't get this whole YouTube thing… we can have our own?" Saki asked, confused.

"That's the whole point!" Sakura noted. "Broadcast yourself! That's their motto!"

"YouTube has a motto?" Maria squinted.

"They used to," Ai replied.

"So what would our video be?" Junko asked.

"I dunno!" Lily answered. "There's a lot of stuff to think about when filming something… the setting, the camera angle, what to say, how to act-"

Maria cut the girl off as she started cracking up. "G-guys! Guys!" She struggled to speak due to her irregular breathing. "This one- This one isn't asking if you guys are real!"

"What does it say?!" Sakura asked excitedly.

She held up her hand for a moment to catch her breath then slowly read the message. "You guys stole my money yesterday. Fuck you."

The group burst into contagious laughter. "Seriously?! That's what it said?!" Ai snickered.

Saki slapped her knee. "Oh, man, that's too good! That's the best thing I've heard all day!"

Once the laughter died back down, Maria returned to trashing all the questions that they didn't want to answer.

"So what kind of emails do we want, exactly…?" Sakura asked sheepishly.

"Either people who want to join or people who want us to do a job for them," Ai answered.

"So we should totally make the video today!" Lily cheered. "So that way, people stop asking us if we're real and cluttering up the inbox!"

She turned to the others. "Do you guys think we should pass on Harue today to make this video?"

Saki shrugged. "I don't care."

"Me either," Maria seconded.

"It would be nice to take a break from her," Junko answered. "After all, she tried to electrocute us yesterday…"

"She did?" Saki asked. "I would have totally done it."

"I have no doubts."

Ai flipped open her phone. "Alright, I'll let her know we're not coming." She looked down and started typing. She held the phone up to her ear and waited patiently. After a moment, she spoke. "Hey, Harue. It's Ai. Listen, we can't come today." She paused for a moment before speaking again. "No, something else came up. We can't come."

Saki laid back down in her seat. "So, Maria, once you're done with that email crap, we should go back out and finish getting tribute. Shrimpy, I want you to be-"

"Harue… are you crying?"

The rest of the group stopped what they were doing and stared in disbelief. "Is she really that attached…?" Junko asked.

Her face twisted into a confused scowl. She held the phone away from her head and glanced back at the rest of the group. "She's crying. What do I do?"

"Just hang up on her!" Saki answered.

She looked at the phone, shrugged, and flipped it shut. She slipped it back into her pocket. "She's so ridiculous."

She sighed. "Anyways, as I was saying. Shrimpy, I want you to be in charge of the whole video thing. Since you were in movies and stuff, I figure you know how those sorts of things should work."

She nodded. "Yup! I can do that!"

Maria groaned and shook her head. "I swear, they're all just dumbass kids asking if zombies are real. Like, have you not been paying attention the last few-" She stopped as her eyes came across one particular email whose subject caught her attention. She tapped on it and her face soon fell. She stared at it silently for a moment.

"You okay, Maria?" Saki asked.

She sat up in her seat and turned the phone around so she could read. "This is some heavy stuff, man."

She read the email aloud. "Hi, I heard you had zombies, but they were smart like regular people. I don't know if that's true or not, but I don't have anywhere else to turn. My brother has less than two months to live and…" She stopped herself and read the rest of the message silently. It was a desperate plea for help from a concerned sister.

"Oh no…" Sakura muttered under her breath.

"That's terrible…" Junko added.

"They want us to convert their brother?" Ai asked.

"Yeah," Maria replied.

She shook her head solemnly. "We can't keep biting people. We could be responsible for a literal zombie apocalypse. We should do everything we can to make sure that no more zombies come into existence."

There was a long moment of silence around the group.

"What're we supposed to say, then?" Saki asked.

"We can't say anything. If we trust this person to be a zombie and they bite someone else, the chain reaction could end society as we know it. If we hadn't recaptured Tae, this week could have been the end of the world."

Sakura stared at her silently, bug-eyed.

Maria slowly turned the phone back around and deleted the email. "Jeez, what a drag…" She silently went back to deleting emails.

Saki sat back in her seat and stared up at the sky. _Yeah… this is the draggiest drag there's ever been._

Sakura leaned over to Ai. "So… Tae-chan could end the world?"

She smiled warmly and put a hand on her shoulder. "I'm sure she'll wake up soon and then everything will be fine."

She nodded slowly. "Right…"

"We have nothing to worry about so long as nobody else gets bit," Junko assured her.

After several minutes, Maria finished sifting through the emails. She groaned and put her phone back in her pocket. "Nothing."

Saki sighed as she sat up on her bike, getting back into a riding position. "Let's get going, then."


	104. The Tutoring

"Remember the name!" Maria exclaimed. She tossed the business card between her fingers at the girls before her and turned away. She marched back toward the bikes silently, trailed by her five zombie comrades.

"That was the last one, right?" Sakura asked. "We're done for today?"

"Yeah," Ai nodded. "Time to shoot the video."

"Yay!" Lily cheered.

"Shrimpy, where we going?" Saki asked.

"The mountain! That parking lot has a really good view of the city and it would look really good!"

"Damn, good idea!" She threw her fist in the air. "Alright! Let's go shoot ourselves a video!"

"YEAH!" Sakura and Maria shouted.

"Oh, we can't do it there!" Junko proclaimed. "Or, at least not today…"

Saki turned to her and raised an eyebrow. "Why not?"

"We went there this morning, and it's very populated today. It's a weekend."

"So?"

"If we shoot it there, we'll probably have a lot of background noise," Ai replied. "Plus, we'll likely have to do more than one take. We don't want anyone to think it's artificial, even if it is, so no one else can see us filming it."

"Crap, you're right," she muttered. She turned to the child. "You got any other places we could shoot it?"

"What?" she moaned. "But I wanted to shoot it there…"

"Why don't we just wait until Tuesday, then?" Sakura suggested. "That way, nobody else will be there and we can make the video without anyone around!"

"Or we could just do it somewhere else, like on top of that parking garage from earlier," Ai pointed out. "Or underneath the train bridge."

"I think it would be wiser to wait until Tuesday," Junko piped up as she sat down on her bike.

"Yeah!" Lily cheered.

Saki nodded. "I'm cool with that."

"Hey, don't I get a say in this?!" Maria asked. "I'm the one who has to sort through the damn emails!"

"Okay, what do you think we should do?"

She paused for a moment and looked away. "We should wait 'till Tuesday."

"Redundant…" Lily muttered under her breath.

"Okay, well, if we aren't filming today, then what should we do?" Ai asked. "We already told Harue we weren't coming."

Sakura turned excitedly. "Oh, Ai-chan! I can give you those lessons you asked about yesterday!" She looked at the rest of the group. "And anyone else who wants them, too!"

Junko raised her hand and smiled. "I'd like it if you could teach me a few things, Sakura-san…"

She nodded. "Of course! Anyone else?"

Maria shrugged. "I think I'm good." She turned to Saki. "Need you to teach me more fighting crap."

Lily gasped. "I wanna watch!"

"Then we'll meet back up under the bridge at six," Ai said.

Maria shrugged. "Sure."

Sakura sat down on her bike and turned it on. Her engine's noise drowned out everything else. "Okay! Follow me!"

"WHAT?!" Ai yelled over the deafening sound.

"Oh, right…" She held up her left hand and drove off, followed by Junko.

"Agh, no," Ai muttered as she rushed to her bike, desperate to keep up. She turned it on and sped after them.

Maria turned to the zombie next to her. "So, I was kinda thinking of upping our practice. You know, sparring with some real hits and stuff."

She laughed. "You do NOT want me to hit you."

"How the hell else am I supposed to get better at blocking?" she asked. "What I mean is that we should get some gear for training."

"Oh, okay. You know where a sport store is?"

She nodded and sat down on her bike. "Follow me."

* * *

Sakura skidded to a stop and looked up at the all too familiar track where she had learned to drive. She turned off her bike and turned around to see Ai and Junko do the same.

"What is this place?" Junko asked.

"This is where I learned to drive," she explained. "It's a driving school that we would go to at night when no one was here." She strolled off her bike and walked over to a fence at the edge of the track. She removed her jacket and laid it over it. "Luckily, this place is closed on Sundays, so we can use it for today!"

Ai tossed her jacket next to hers. "Let's get started, then." She tilted her head left and right, popping an innumerable amount of crinks in her neck and making an orchestra of cracking sounds.

Junko did the same and turned to Sakura. "What should we learn first?"

"Um, I don't know… Maybe you two could go around the track showing off what you can do and then we'll move from there…?"

Ai nodded. "Alright." She walked back over to her bike and sat down. "I'll go first." She turned back on her bike and twisted the throttle, speeding onto the track. She turned the corner sharply and straightened out, picking up speed. She bent her body over, making herself more aerodynamic, and pulled ahead onto the first turn. She leaned into it eloquently, her knee almost touching the ground, but she managed to handle herself well. She finally reached a straight section and barreled toward the next turn, twisting her throttle and picking up speed as she did so. Finally, she leaned into her final turn and rode toward the two girls standing next to the track. She skidded to a stop and turned off her bike. She brought a hand up to her hair and pushed it back into place, as it had been blown away by the wind. "Okay! How was that?"

If Sakura's wide smile was any indication, she absolutely loved it. She ran over to her and hugged her. "That was super good, Ai-chan! You're amazing!"

She took a moment to acclimate to being hugged before processing what the girl had said. She blushed and looked away. "That was nothing compared to what you can do…"

She pulled away from the hug, still holding onto her arms. "I mean, yeah! I can teach you a lot! But you're so talented right from the get-go!"

Junko stepped forward. "I suppose now it's my turn, then…?"

She turned around. "Oh, right!" She walked back over to the fence where she was before. "Go ahead whenever!"

Ai walked up next to her and leaned down onto the fence.

Junko started her bike and rolled out onto the track. She took a deep breath then pulled back on the throttle.

Sakura stared at the girl as she leaned into her first turn.

"Junko's probably the least experienced of all of us," Ai told her. "You should probably focus more on getting her up to speed than teaching me tricks."

"Huh?" She turned to the idol next to her. "You think so?"

She nodded and pointed out at the track. "Notice how she almost never really puts her body anywhere near the road. She's afraid of falling over." She glanced at Sakura. "Afraid of failing in general, really. I don't understand it."

"Because you don't think mistakes or failures are a bad thing…" A small smile spread across her face. She looked back at the track. "Because they always end up helping with whatever happens next."

She smiled. "You know that quote really well, don't you?"

"Well, they're the words that motivated me to try one more time and ultimately led me to my new life… They're pretty important to me," she said with a happy sigh. "My life is way better now as a result."

She covered her mouth with her hand as she processed the impact she had had on her. Tears started forming in her eyes. She looked back at the track silently.

Junko started her second turn and slowed down to keep herself from nearing the ground. She made her way around the turn then sped up once she hit the straight section. She skidded to a stop just as Ai had, but leaned back significantly less. She put her foot on the ground behind her and turned off her engine. "How was that?"

"That was pretty good," Sakura started, "but there are a few things we could definitely work on."

She nodded. "I thought so." She stepped off her bike and walked toward her. "Well, let's get started then, shall we?"

* * *

Saki rolled onto the grass and braked normally, remembering how skidding had created a massive mark the first time. As the bridge was the closest thing Dorami had to a base, she wanted to make sure it was kept pristine. She heard the other two pull up behind her and turned off her bike. She stepped off, threw her jacket onto her bike, and stretched, preparing for a long period of sparring.

Maria stepped off her bike and opened her storage compartment. "Take your boots off. If you kick me in the leg, I don't want it to break a bone."

"Yeah, I know," Saki replied as she bent down to take off her boots.

Lily ran past the two with her arms outstretched. "You know what we should do?"

"What?"

"We should get some spray paint and mark this place as our territory! With graffiti!" She looked at the pillar of the bridge the group had spent the majority of their time under and held her hands up in front of her face, forming a frame with her index fingers and thumbs. She was mimicking the motion she had seen countless directors do in show business.

"Tell you what, kid," Saki retorted, "you find someone who can draw and then maybe. But we're not gonna put up graffiti if we can't draw." She slipped off her boots and planted her feet back on the ground. The grass felt weird through her socks. _Yeah, socks should go, too…_ She tore them off and stood up. Now the grass' texture on her exposed foot felt nice. She walked under the bridge and looked where Lily was looking. "Yeah, I mean, it would be a good spot to tag if we had anyone who could draw."

"Alright, I'm ready!" Maria yelled. She wore plenty of padded equipment to make sure Saki couldn't actually hurt her, including a football helmet, a mouthguard, and an umpire's chestpiece. Her jacket was laid over the back of her bike. She walked over to where the two others were, stepped back into a stance, and put her hands up. "I'm gonna kick your ass!"

Saki laughed as she stepped into her own stance. "You dumbass. You know I'm a zombie, right? I'm way better than you."

She let out a snarky grin. "Then I'll make up for it with guts."

* * *

Junko rolled onto the track again and took another deep breath. She twisted back on the throttle and flew forward toward the first turn. She fought her instinctive need to slow down and instead started leaning toward the ground.

"She's doing it!" Sakura gasped.

Her knee grew nearer and nearer to the ground and she glanced down at it out of the corner of her eye. Suddenly, something in her screamed out in panic and she immediately braked. She slid forward, slammed into the dashboard, and fell to the ground. The bike landed on top of her.

"Junko-chan!" she yelled, jumping over the fence and running over to her. She pushed the bike off of her and turned it off.

Ai knelt down next to her. "Are you okay?"

"Yes…" she answered weakly. She sat up and pulled her knees into her chest.

She cocked her head. "What's wrong?"

She sighed. "I feel bad… I'm the worst biker in the group. I can't drive well, I can't fight at all… I want to be able to do what everyone else can do, but everything is so foreign to me… It's a totally different world from what I know. Everyone else seems to have it down, but I just can't keep up…" She put her head down on her knees. "I don't want to be such dead weight… Literally."

"Junko-chan…" Sakura mumbled.

Ai sat down next to her and wrapped her arm around her. "You're not dead weight. Even if you're not as good at biker things, you're still a great girl." She smiled. "Having you in Dorami is a huge part of what makes it worth it. I wouldn't have it any other way."

She looked up at her.

"I think you should keep doing your best to get better at driving. You are Junko Konno. You can do anything you set your mind to. I'll make sure of it." She turned, pulled the key out of her bike, and handed it to her. "You just have to believe."

She slowly took the key and rose to her feet. She took a seat on the bike and took a long, drawn out breath. Finally, she turned the key, held the brake, and pressed the start button to turn on the bike. She took off with newfound determination.

Sakura looked down at her idol in awe. "Ai-chan…"

She rose to her feet and pointed. "Shh. Just watch."

She looked down the track to see Junko bent over on her bike approaching the second turn. "You think she's gonna do it?"

"I know she will."

Junko gritted her teeth and leaned into her turn, her knee inching nearer and nearer to the ground. But this time, she didn't falter. She kept moving forward, keeping her eyes on the road, and completed the turn. She barreled back toward the two girls and skidded to a stop mere meters away. She turned off her bike and looked up with a resolute expression.

"Junko-chan!" Sakura exclaimed, running over to her. She wrapped her arms around her with childish glee. "You did it! I'm so happy for you!"

She smiled wide and looked over at Ai, who was smiling back. "I did, didn't I…?"

* * *

"Yeah! Get her, Maria-chan!" Lily yelled. She sat on the ground against the pillar supporting the train bridge over the river watching the two girls she was with spar.

Maria had her back to the child, so she quickly turned and shot a glance in her direction. Her defense dropped for a moment.

"Come on! Keep your damn hands up!" Saki yelled, smacking the girl before her on the side of the head at full force. "You wanna get a damn concussion?! You can't handle a hit in the head like I can!"

She gritted her teeth as best she could with the mouthguard and put her hands back up. She leaned forward and threw a punch that narrowly missed her head. However, instead of retracting her arm, she stepped around her front foot backwards and elbowed her in the side of the head.

She recoiled a little bit from the blow and looked back over her shoulder. "That move was stylish, but it's not safe," she remarked. She put her leg behind her and pushed her down by her throat, tripping her and pinning her to the ground.

"Ungh!" she exclaimed as she crashed into the earth below. She grabbed the hand on her neck and grunted.

"Come on, remember how to get someone's hand off your neck!"

"I know, damn it!" she replied. She wormed her way under the girl's thumb and twisted it backwards, loosening her grip enough to pull her whole hand from her throat with ease. She twisted her hips and launched her weight onto her back, using her now free legs to kick the zombie off of her. She rolled backward and climbed to her feet, putting her hands back up.

She stumbled backwards and put a hand to her chest where the girl had kicked her. This hand was perfectly positioned to block a punch from Maria. She covered her chest with both arms to block any more punches and looked up just in time to see a familiar fist headed toward her face. _Oh, crap!_ She closed her eyes and prepared for impact.

"Your head is wide open!" Maria yelled as her hand collided with the girl's head.

Saki felt her head disconnect from her neck and reopened her eyes. She saw Maria's face shift from triumphant pride to intense regret in the blink of an eye. "C-crap!" Her head hit one of the train's support pillars and fell straight into the river. She began sinking fast. _Crapcrapcrapcrapcrap!_

Suddenly, a figure appeared in the water and quickly started swimming toward her. Before long, it became apparent that this was Maria and that she had jumped in immediately. She grabbed the girl's head and dragged her back up. She soon resurfaced and took a deep breath. She looked down at the girl in her hands and removed her mouthpiece. "You okay?"

She blinked to get the hair out of her left eye. "Yeah, I'm fine… thanks." She put on a smug grin. "But I could have done that myself."

"Shut up, dumbass," she replied as she started swimming back to shore. "No you couldn't've."

"That was amazing, Maria-chan!" Lily yelled. She ran over to the edge of the water and extended a hand to help the girl out.

Maria grabbed her hand and climbed back onto the shore. "Here." She handed the zombie's head to the child, took off her football helmet, and threw it to the ground. Her hair was wet and stuck to her head. She also threw off her umpire chestpiece and took a deep breath. "Damn it…" She shook her head like a dog in an attempt to dry out her hair.

Saki plucked her head out of Lily's hands and held it away from herself to prevent her soaking wet ponytail from getting her shirt wet. She walked over to Maria. "Okay, I'll admit, that was pretty sharp. You caught me off-guard."

She looked up and let out a slight smile. "Thanks. I wasn't trying to knock your damn head off, though." She wrung out her hair like a towel. "I think I'm gonna take a break."

"Obviously," Lily quipped.

Saki stared down at the girl and couldn't help but smile. "You know, you're one hell of a lot better than you were when we first met."

She looked up and grinned. "I found my guts."

The sound of engines faded in from nothing. The group looked up to see Ai, Junko, and Sakura drive off the road into the grass. "They're back!" Lily yelled.

The three turned off their engines and looked at the scene before them. "What happened here?" Ai asked.

"Maria-chan punched Saki-chan's head into the river!" she giggled. "It was awesome!"

She couldn't help but laugh at this. "Oh, I bet." She turned to Maria. "Well, let's get going. The wind will dry your clothes."

"Wait, where are we going?" Sakura asked.

Saki grinned. "We're going to Drive Tori!" she cheered.


	105. The Return to The Chicken

The six girls pulled off the road and parked just outside the lobby of the chicken establishment. Saki ran a hand through her hair. While it was dry, she hadn't put any work into forming it while it was drying, so it was flat and straight. She started fixing her hair in the reflection of the window.

"Alright! It's Tori time!" Maria cheered. She stepped off her bike and her face immediately shifted into discomfort. "Oh, my feet are still soaking wet…" she complained.

"Well then maybe you shouldn't have punched her head into the river," Ai retorted.

"Shut up, Bandages." She quickly fixed her hair and walked to the front of the store.

"Drive-In Tori…" Sakura read the sign aloud. "I've never heard of this place before."

"It's really good!" Lily exclaimed. "I didn't go until last week and I'm really glad I did!"

"I hope we don't have to leave early this time," Junko stated.

"Don't jinx it," Maria replied. "Saki, you coming?"

"Yeah, gimme a sec." She puffed up her bangs one last time then turned back to the group. "Alright, let's go!" She walked toward the front doors with the rest of her crew.

Junko pulled the door open and held it for the rest of the gang to walk through.

The group walked into the lobby and were immediately greeted by the same man who had greeted them the week before. "Welcome to Drive-In Tori! Would you like a private room or a table?"

"Private," Maria replied.

He tapped a few times on his computer screen then led them around a corner and through a small dining room to a small corridor lined with private rooms on either side. "You're in room 11," he said. He guided them to the second room on the left.

"Thank you!" Sakura exclaimed.

"Someone will be here soon to take your orders. You should turn on the grills as soon as you sit down so they're ready faster." He turned back towards the front and walked off.

"Does he say the same thing every time…?" Junko wondered aloud.

"He's got a script," Lily replied. She undid her boots with one swift motion, stepped out of them, and sat down on the right side of the table. She laid down one spare zabuton on either end.

Sakura was quick to follow. She sat down on the cushion at the end of the table across from the door and looked down at the grills on the table. She cocked her head.

"What is it, Sakura?" Ai asked as she stepped into the room and took a seat next to her.

"Nothing… I just thought this place served chicken…"

Junko sat down next to Ai and laughed softly. "I said the same thing last time. It's yakiniku-style grilling, but with chicken."

"Really…?"

There was a gross _squelch_ as Maria tore off her first boot. "Euugh," she grimaced.

"Euugh is right," Saki replied. She stepped into the room and took a seat next to Lily. She turned on the two grills. "Seriously, Sakura, you got no idea. This stuff is straight up the best food in existence!"

"You're really passionate about this, Saki-chan…" she observed.

"Hell yeah I am! Nothing beats Tori!"

Maria slipped out of her second boot and stepped into the room. Her socks made little _splats_ and she stood for a moment staring down at her feet. "Hey, guys is it okay if-"

"Just take them off," Ai sighed.

"Okay, good." She lifted up each of her feet and unwrapped each. She took a seat on the zabuton that had been laid out for her at the end of the table. "Ahh, that feels good." She laid her wet socks on the ground next to her. "Nice work today, guys. That heist was easily the best thing Dorami has ever done."

"I wouldn't say ever," Saki retorted, "but definitely the best thing we've ever done since the penthouse arson."

"The what…?" Junko whispered.

A man in an apron appeared in the doorway. "Welcome to Drive-In Tori! Is there anything I can start you out with?"

Before Saki could yell out her order like last time, Ai answered. "We'd like some time to look at the menu, please."

Saki gave her an offended glare.

The man in the doorway nodded. "That's alright. Take your time. I'll be back in a bit." He walked back down the hall out of sight.

Ai glanced across the table at Saki. "I know you're excited, but we want to actually look at the menu this time before we order. You kind of threw us under the bus last time."

She groaned and leaned back against the wall. "Yeah, I guess…"

She reached into the table's centerpiece and found two spiral-bound menus. She handed one to Sakura and shared her own with Junko.

"Lemme see! Lemme see!" Lily exclaimed, crawling off her cushion to be next to Sakura so she could see the menu.

"Here, Lily-chan," she answered. She released the left side of it and held it toward her. "We can both hold it."

Maria turned to the only other person who already knew what she wanted. "So. What's been going on with you?"

Saki shrugged. "Nothing you don't already know about. You?"

She put her arms behind her head and leaned back against the wall. "My mom's pissed because I dropped out of high school behind her back. I was supposed to start next week."

"Pssch. Who needs school?"

"I know, right? Like, I don't wanna spend my days waking up early and figuring out how the hell triangles work."

"Hey, you're in good company, kid. I don't think any of us actually went to- er, finished high school before we died."

"I did," Junko piped up.

She glanced across the table to see the girl looking up from her menu. "Okay, well, aside from you."

Lily released the menu and handed her side back to Sakura. "Okay, I know what I'm gonna get!"

"What?" Maria asked.

"Fried chicken and french fries!" she exclaimed. "Saki-chan, does this place have ketchup or mustard or mayonnaise?"

"Yeah, you just have to ask."

"Wait, you're not gonna cover your chicken in that, are you?" Maria questioned.

She nodded. "Yup! I like to mix them together and dip stuff in it!"

Her face fell and she gagged. "Oh my god, that's disgusting."

She pouted and crossed her arms. "Well, I didn't ask you, Maria-chan!"

"Find anything you like?" Ai asked Junko.

"I'm going to get the fried chicken like last time, but I think I'll have a different side. I'm thinking about getting the fried vegetables, but the yakisoba looks good, too… Which one would you get?"

"I don't think the yakisoba is a side, but I would still take that over the vegetables."

"Oh… I'll do that, then."

She turned to the girl on her other side. "Sakura, how about you?"

She looked up from her menu. "Um, I'm not totally sure… what would you recommend?"

"That's a better question for Saki," she replied, placing her menu back where she had gotten it.

She turned to the girl across the table. "Saki-chan, what do you recommend?"

"Whatever you get, it's gotta have chicken in it," she answered. "The chicken here is the best in the damn prefecture. Meal number one is the best this place has to offer."

"I'll get that, then," she concluded. She closed the menu and placed it back in the table's centerpiece.

"So, you're dropping out of high school?" Ai asked. "I guess I technically did the same…"

"Yeah," Maria shrugged. "If I'm gonna be the boss of Dorami, I can't have that crap eating up all my damn time."

She nodded. "That makes sense."

Saki looked around the table. "Damn, a lot has happened since the last time we were here, huh? Feels like it's been forever." Her eyes drifted to the rainbow of hair around the table. "Actually, don't think I ever asked. How do you guys like your highlights?"

"I love them!" Lily exclaimed. She grabbed her ponytail and pulled it around to the front of her head, eyeing her green streaks. She grinned from ear to ear.

"They've certainly grown on me," Junko answered. She looked at her navy blue fluff out the corner of her eye and smiled softly.

Ai gasped and turned to Sakura. "Sakura, you should get highlights like ours!"

"Eh?! Highlights? I've never colored my hair before…"

"Neither had I, but it was actually really fun. I could help you do it."

A smile spread across her face. "Oh, okay! Let's do it, then!"

She turned across the table. "Hey, Saki, what color do you think Sakura would look best with?"

"Huh?" She turned and stared at the girl for a moment. "Purple. For sure."

"What?! But mine's already purple!" Maria contested.

She glared at the girl next to her. "So? You expect to not have repeats? We already have one. Shrimpy and I both have green."

"Oh."

"Fade or streaks?" Ai asked.

She waved her hand. "Fade for sure."

"What does that mean?" Sakura questioned.

"It means yours is gonna be like Junko-chan and Ai-chan's," Lily explained. "A fade! See how everyone else's is streaks?"

She compared the two sides of the table. "Oh! So it blends from one color to another?"

"Right," Junko nodded. "We can probably do yours tomorrow."

"What's the plan tomorrow, anyways?" Maria inquired.

"First, we go to the arcade," Ai answered. "On the way back, we'll stop by the store and pick up whatever cake stuff Sakura wants. Then we'll go back home and make a cake. Afterwards, I guess we'll dye her hair." She turned to her left. "Does that sound good to you?"

She was beaming. "Yeah! That sounds great!"

She smiled back. "I'm glad."

Suddenly, the man from before reappeared in the doorway. "Are you girls ready to order yet?"

The group turned to look at him. "We are," Junko answered.

He took out a notepad and pen. "Alright, whenever you're ready."

"Can I have the fried chicken with a side of yakisoba? And then to drink, can I have a honey and black vinegar Calpis?"

He nodded, wrote down her order, and turned to Maria.

"Number one with extra rice, water."

"Nice and simple. I like it." He looked up at Saki.

"Number one with a side of lettuce with orange soda."

"Alright." He glanced at Lily and paused. His eyes fixated on her exposed heart.

"Fried chicken with french fries and ketchup and mayonnaise and mustard! With an orange soda on the side!"

He didn't respond. His eyes merely went back to Saki, then went back across the table to Junko, Ai, and Sakura. "Hold on a second…"

"Uh oh," Maria muttered under her breath.

"We all have skin conditions!" Ai yelled.

He squinted and looked down at her. "No… you all are those zombie biker girls I've heard about, aren't you? Convincing costumes. Freaked me out for a second there!"

Saki groaned and threw her hands up in defeat. "Damn it, they're not-"

Maria elbowed her in the side. "Shut up!" she whispered through gritted teeth. "You wanna get people freakin' out?"

He laughed. "Sure they aren't." He looked back at Lily. "What was your order again, ma'am? Sorry, I didn't get that."

She frowned. "Fried chicken with french fries and ketchup and mayonnaise and mustard and an orange soda!"

He transcribed the order and turned to the next in line.

"Um… the number one meal, please," Sakura ordered. "With french fries and a Pepsi."

He nodded and turned to the final girl.

"Beef loin with a side of rice, please," Ai said. "Water is fine."

Saki gasped and stared at her.

"Alright, I'll get that out to you right away!" the man replied. He turned and walked away.

Maria sighed. "Shrimpy, you left your heart out."

She looked down. "Oh no, I did!" She pushed it back into her chest. "Sorry!"

"It's alright," Junko replied. "At least he thought they were costumes."

"Well, people's skepticism sometimes pays off…" Ai muttered under her breath. She noticed Saki staring at her. "What?"

"You ordered BEEF?" she asked, clearly offended.

She raised an eyebrow. "Yeah… is there a problem with that?"

"You have any idea where you are, damn it?! You're at Drive-In Tori! When you go to Tori, you order chicken!"

She was taken aback by this statement. "Hey, beef yakiniku is my favorite food, okay? I haven't had it since before I died!"

"You want beef yakiniku, go to a place that specializes in that crap! Here, ordering beef is a damn insult!"

Maria smacked her on the back of the head. "The hell's your deal? Who gives a crap what she orders?"

Saki's hand flew to where she had been hit and she stared at the boss for a second. She turned back to Ai. "Alright, you get a pass this time. But you better order chicken next time!"

She rolled her eyes and turned to Maria. "How's the email looking?"

She shrugged. "More stupid questions. Can't wait until we get that damn video out."

"I have a whole script in my head!" Lily exclaimed. "I think it's gonna look really good!"

"I think it's good we waited a few days," Junko stated. "That way, Sakura will have hair like the rest of ours when we film it."

"Oh, right!" Ai proclaimed. "I hadn't even thought of that!"

The man reappeared with a tray with many glasses on it. He set down glasses in front of each girl. "Your food will be out shortly."

"Thank you," Sakura replied. She picked up her Pepsi and took a sip. She let out a satisfied sigh.

He smiled, turned, and disappeared once more.

Junko leaned forward and took a sip of her Calpis. "Oh, this is lovely…"

"Oh, that looks good," Ai observed. "Can I try?"

"Sure." She held up the glass and let the girl next to her taste it. "It's good, right?"

She nodded and smacked her lips. "Really good. I should have gotten one."

"Hey, Sakura," Saki asked, "how good is that Kozue chick at driving?"

"Huh? Well, she's really good…" she answered. "According to Misa, she was the best driver in Korosuke."

"Thinking about that race?" Ai smiled.

"Yeah. You have no idea how long it's been since I had a good old-fashioned street race," Saki replied. "I'm so excited."

"Did you used to race a lot, Saki-chan?" Lily asked.

"Oh, yeah. Every day. Me and Reiko raced everywhere. But man… it's been forever…" she muttered.

Maria perked up and stared at her silently.

"Well, who knows when we'll see her again?" Ai pointed out. "She did say that she was going to take a break."

"She really needed one," Sakura added. "She's been working nonstop for over a week. She must be exhausted."

The man reappeared holding several plates of food and set them down around the table. "Help yourselves!" He turned and walked back out.

"Alright, let's dig in!" Saki cheered.


	106. The Reason

The rest of the dinner went off without a hitch. Once they were done, the group paid and walked out the front doors to the parking lot. "Man, that's good Tori…" Saki sighed, rubbing her stomach.

"Sakura," Ai instructed, "tomorrow we'll be going into town, so make sure you come wearing your human makeup. You don't need to wear your uniform. Maria will bring you there."

She nodded and climbed onto her bike. "Okay!"

"What time?" Maria asked.

"Be there at eleven."

"Okay." She climbed onto her bike and rolled out of the parking spot. "See you guys tomorrow. Let's go, Blackout." She turned on her engine and sped off into the night with the red-haired zombie trailing her closely.

"Bye!" Lily waved as the two disappeared over the horizon.

Saki turned around to the remaining zombies. "Alright. Let's go home."

"Actually," Ai protested, "Junko and I were gonna go look for my CD. Remember how there was a CD store by the train station in Imari?"

"Oh, right, yeah." She paused. "You sure you can get back on your own?"

"We'll be fine," she assured her. "Worst comes to worst, we know our way back from Karatsu, so we take the long way home."

She shrugged. "Alright. Don't be afraid to use the nail gun if any more cops try to shoot you." She turned to the child. "Come on, Shrimpy. It's just you and me."

"Okay!" She climbed onto her bike. "Bye, Ai-chan! Bye, Junko-chan!" she waved.

The two idols waved back as their sisters climbed onto their bikes and drove off.

* * *

Saki opened the house door and stepped into the genkan. "Damn, it's good to be home," she sighed. She took off her glasses, sat down, and started removing her boots.

Lily shut the door and sat down next to her. She threw off her boots in seconds.

"How the hell do you do that so fast?" she asked, astonished.

"I know how to tie and untie knots super well," she answered. "I was the star of 'Girl Scout Mania Case Files 3', you know!" She took her glasses off and slipped them into her jacket's pocket.

"Never heard of it." She slipped off her first boot.

Takeo appeared from around the corner. "Saki! Masao! Welcome home!"

The child pouted as she stood up and faced him. "My name is Lily!"

"Right, sorry…" He stepped forward and hugged his daughter gently, minding her exposed heart. "How was your day?"

"It was good! We fought Korosuke in the morning and I jumped off a roof and picked a lock! Then we collected tribute and Maria-chan punched Saki-chan's head into the river! It was really funny! We also had Drive-In Tori!"

"Sounds exciting." He broke out of the hug. "Where are Ai and Junko?"

"They went to go buy Sakura-chan a birthday present! They'll be home soon."

"I see." He stood up. "Do you want to watch some TV with me?"

She gasped and nodded excitedly. "Yeah! Yeah!" She bent down and grabbed Saki's arm. "Come on, Saki-chan! Let's watch TV!"

"Hey, hold up! I gotta take off my boots first!" She slipped off her second boot and stood up. "Alright." She let the child take her by the hand and walk her down the hallway.

Takeo pushed open the door to the living room and turned on the lights.

Lily released Saki's hand and jumped over the back of the couch. She soared through the air for a solid second and a half, landed on the cushion, and bounced up and down for a moment.

"Whoa! What was that?" he laughed.

She turned around and looked up at him with a wide smile. "Zombies can jump super high!" She looked at Saki. "Saki-chan! Come sit next to me!"

She put her arms behind her head and grinned. "Yeah, yeah…" She started walking toward the couch, but paused as she noticed something she hadn't before. While the shrine in the corner had had one of its pictures removed since the first time she had been to the house, the other remained. She walked over to it and looked down at it to see a blue-haired woman smiling. She looked up at the child on the couch and pointed down at it. "Yo, Shrimpy… who's this?"

"Huh?" She stood up and walked over to where she was. She looked at the picture. "That's my mommy," she answered.

Her eyebrows shot up. "Oh…" She looked down at the child. "So this is… her shrine?"

"Yeah."

Takeo walked up behind her and put a hand on her shoulder. "It was Mas- Lily's shrine, too, until you brought her back to me."

"Mommy passed away when I was just a little girl," she elaborated, "but I know she's looking down on us from the sky."

Saki looked back at the woman on the shrine. _Lily's mom…_

Lily paused for a moment and looked up at the girl next to her. "Saki-chan…"

She looked down at the child. "Yeah?"

"I know why Ai-chan and Junko-chan can't go back to their old families, but why can't you? Don't you have a mom or a dad?"

She stared down at the child for a long moment, saying nothing. She looked back up at the TV. "Let's watch some TV." She walked past the child.

She grabbed her arm. "Wait, Saki-chan, what is it? Are you mad at them? Like how I was mad at Pappy?"

She yanked her arm out of the child's hands and sat down on the couch. "I don't wanna talk about it, okay?"

"Maybe we could go see them! Like how you took me to see Pappy again!"

She clenched her fist and gritted her teeth. "Drop it, Shrimpy…"

"Come on, Saki-chan!" She grabbed her arm once again. "Remember how-"

"I SAID DROP IT!" she exploded. She tore her arm away again. "It's not as simple as you being mad at your dad, okay?! There's a reason I ran away from home! Why do you even care?!"

The girl before her took a step back and tears started forming in her eyes. She turned and ran into her father's arms, bawling.

Takeo stared at her silently.

Saki immediately realized what she had done and her body language shifted. "Wait, Lily, that's not…" She looked up at the father. "I-I'm sorry… I just…" She froze for another moment then stood up and sprinted out of the room. She ran down the hall, around the corner, up the stairs, down another hall, and into the bathroom. She locked the door behind her and slumped down against the door. _Damn it… this is why people shouldn't care about me…_ She grabbed either side of her head with her hands. _Why the hell do they care about me?!_ She clenched her eyes shut; not that it made a difference, because she hadn't even turned on the lights. _Don't think about it, don't think about it, don't think about it, don't think about it, don't think about it, don't think about it, don't think about it, don't think about it, don't think about-_

There was a soft groan.

She opened her eyes to see that she was no longer in the bathroom. She was now in a dimly lit room she recognized as her childhood 'bedroom', which could be more aptly called a closet. On the floor next to her was a futon. In one corner there was a small stool and a calendar on the wall flipped to February 1994. _Oh no… I'm thinking about it._

The blonde-haired girl before her sitting at the stool, being used as a table in this instance, was fourteen years old. She was bundled up in her bed sheets because of the temperature. Little did she know, she was moments away from losing her innocence. "How the heck am I supposed to do this…?" she groaned quietly. She dropped her pencil and stared down at her math homework in utter confusion.

Saki crawled across the floor and grabbed her by the shoulder. "You need to stop what you're doing right now! Call the cops before it's too late!"

The girl turned to her and lowered her eyebrows. "What're you talking about? You aren't making any sense."

"I know, but you gotta trust me! Something bad's about to happen and if you don't do something-"

There was a crash from outside. "DAMN IT, WOMAN!" a man's voice yelled. "WHERE THE FUCK IS MY BEER?!"

The girl glanced at the door for a second then looked back down at her homework silently.

Saki shook the girl violently. "Hey! You gotta do something! I KNOW you heard that!"

She waved her hand away. "She'll just tell him where it is like she does every time. I shouldn't have to worry about him until he's drunk."

"He's already drunk!" she yelled. "Didn't you hear him?! He only calls her 'woman' when he's drunk!"

"Takeshi, what are you doing?!" the woman outside called out. "Where did you get that?!"

"YOU'RE GONNA TELL ME WHERE IT IS RIGHT NOW! OR ELSE!"

The girl's eyebrows shot up and she turned to the door. "What's he doing to her…?!" She climbed to her feet and slowly pushed the door open, still wrapped in her blankets. She was paralyzed as soon as she processed the scene before her. Standing before her in the living room was her father wielding a small revolver. He was taking slow steps toward her mother, who was taking slow steps away from him.

"Takeshi, stop!" she cried as she backed into a corner. "This isn't you!"

"TELL ME WHERE IT IS!"

"You've already had enough! You need to go lie down!"

"YOU CAN'T TELL ME WHAT TO DO! WHERE'S MY BEER?!"

"M-m-m-mom…?" the girl sputtered out.

The woman's gaze shot to the girl for a moment. She looked back at her husband. "Please, Takeshi, you can't do this anymore! Just put the gun down and-"

A deafening bang echoed throughout the house as the man pulled the trigger. The bullet in the chamber flew out of the barrel and entered his wife's shoulder.

The girl gasped and took a step back. Tears immediately started streaming down her face, but she was silent.

He stepped forward grabbed her by the neck. "NOW YOU SEE I'M NOT FUCKING AROUND! WHERE IS IT?!"

She merely stared up at him with her mouth agape. Her hand flew to her shoulder where she had been shot.

"FINE, THEN! HAVE IT YOUR WAY!" He released her and held the pistol toward her once again.

The girl stared at the scene unfolding before her eyes. "I g-gotta do s-something…" And yet, she did nothing. She stood and watched as bullet after bullet plunged into her mother's skin. Her legs trembled, her face quivered, and her hands quaked. She stood, locked in place not by any physical limitations, but rather by the shackles of her psyche. "N-no…" she whispered. "Mom…"

"I TOLD YOU TO TELL ME WHERE IT WAS!" he shouted as he shot one last time, this time in her neck. He pulled back on the trigger again and again, but the gun was empty. He raised an eyebrow and looked down at it. He analyzed the situation for a moment then threw the whole gun at her. "YOU ROTTEN WOMAN! LOOK WHAT YOU MADE ME DO!"

Her mother dropped to the floor limply. In her dying moments, she turned her head back toward the girl and stared at her silently. As blood oozed into the shag carpet around her, her gaze seemed to convey a message so obvious anyone could decode it: "run."

The girl immediately turned and sprinted for the front door, not even bothering with putting her shoes on. She threw it open and ran into the freezing night with nothing but her blanket and her clothes.

Saki was dragged along by some unearthly force. Sliding through the snow, she watched as the apartment flew out of sight.

Her father peered out the door toward her then slammed the door shut.

She turned around and looked at the girl unwittingly dragging her along.

Her shoulder-length ponytail flew frantically in the wind as she fled from the single biggest defining moment of her entire life. After what felt like forever, the girl finally stopped running and put her hands on her knees. She breathed heavily and looked down at the snow on the ground. Her whole body rocked as she threw up the lunch she had eaten at school hours prior.

She rose to her feet and walked up behind her. She smacked her in the back of the head. "Damn it, girl! This is all your fucking fault!"

The girl shook her head. "I couldn't protect her…" she choked.

"You're PATHETIC! You just LET HER DIE! You WATCHED!"

"I-I know!" she replied. Tears fell from her face and left small craters in the snow beneath her feet. Vomit dripped down her chin. "I wasn't strong enough!"

"Well don't just stand there crying! Do something about it, damn it!" she shouted.

She fell to her hands and knees and quivered in the cold. "I know, but…"

"You wanna prove the old man right?! Because you sure as hell haven't proved him wrong yet!"

The girl stopped shaking and slowly stood back up at her full height. She seemed taller than before and her ponytail went down to her knees. She turned around and her eyes glowed red. A scar emerged on her right cheek and her skin tone shifted to be more green in hue. Her hair flaunted new orange and green highlights and her eyes sunk back into her skull. She stared back at her mirror image. "No, we haven't."

Saki gasped and pushed herself off the ground. She looked around at her surroundings and soon realized she was back in the bathroom, standing on all fours in the center of the room. She curled her knees into her chest and took several deep breaths with her eyes clenched shut. _Don't think about it, don't think about it, don't think about it! If I don't think about it, I'm fine. I'm fine. I'm fine._ Finally, she calmed down and took a sigh of relief. "It was just a dream," she whispered. She reopened her eyes and looked up at the shower before her. She squinted. _Weren't the lights off when I passed out?_

Someone behind her cleared her throat.

She quickly twisted around to see Ai, Junko, and Lily all standing between her and the door. "Eh?! What's going on?!"

Ai sighed. "Saki, we need to talk."


	107. The Intervention

Saki stared up at the three girls before her and squinted. "How the hell did you get in here? I thought I locked that door."

"You did," Ai replied, "but it can be opened from the outside with a key."

"Oh." She sat cross-legged on the floor before them casually and raised an eyebrow. "So… whaddya wanna talk about?"

The three each looked between each other for a moment. Junko took a deep breath, stepped forward, and clasped her hands together. "Saki-san… I know you didn't want to tell me what was troubling you last night, but…"

"That's what this is about?" she groaned. She put her arms behind her head. "I told you, I'm fine. You shouldn't worry about crap like that."

She sat down in front of her and leaned forward. "You're not fine. Please stop lying to us. We only have your best interests at heart."

She rolled her eyes and brought her hands back down to her sides. She leaned back and supported herself with her arms. "I'm not lying. I'm fine."

"So then you were lying last night when you admitted you weren't?" Ai pointed out.

She paused for a moment. "Uh… well… yeah."

She sighed and sat down next to Junko. "Listen. We can all tell something's going on with you. I know you don't think people should care about you for some reason, but that's ridiculous." She leaned forward and put a hand on her shoulder. "We want to help you, Saki. Tell us what happened to you."

She looked away. "Why the hell do you even care?"

She glanced at Junko, who produced a folded piece of paper from her pocket and held it toward her. She grabbed it and held it in front of her face. "Here. This is why."

She shot a confused glance at Ai and slowly took it.

"Open it."

She looked down and slowly unfolded the paper three times to reveal a full list of the various things she had done for them, from preventing Ai and Junko from getting shot to reuniting Lily with her father to being Ai's burn sister. She slowly scanned over it, processing and remembering each entry. There had to be at least sixty.

"You've given us so many things to be thankful for," Junko stated. "To think that we wouldn't care for you after all you've done to care for us is absurd."

She looked up at her. "I didn't do all this crap so that you would care about me."

"Maybe not, but that's still an effect your actions have. You absolutely deserve every bit of care we have to give."

She stared at her silently for a moment. _I… deserve to be cared about?_ She looked down at the paper. _No… she doesn't know what she's talking about._ She handed it back to her. "This doesn't change anything."

"What, you still don't think we should care about you?" Ai asked.

"Hell no. We've known each other for what, two or three weeks? You don't know me as well as you think you do, damn it."

"Then why don't you tell us more about yourself? You can start with why you left home!"

She scowled and looked away again. "I don't wanna talk about that," she replied through gritted teeth.

Junko turned to Ai. "Her family is clearly a sore spot. We shouldn't force her to talk about it if she doesn't want to," she whispered.

"It probably has something to do with why she thinks we shouldn't care about her," she whispered back. "Don't you want to know?"

"Yes, but I think that it would be better for her to tell us on her own terms. She'll have to eventually."

"And how long do you think that'll take? A few months? A few years? We might be immortal, but there are other people who care about her who aren't."

Saki stared at the two blankly as they bickered amongst themselves. _They know I'm sitting right in front of them, right…?_ She rolled her eyes and her gaze naturally turned to Lily, who was still standing against the door silently. She blinked as she realized the child had tears streaming down her face. _Crap! I never apologized!_ She immediately rose to her feet and walked past the idols over to her. "Hey, I'm sorry I yelled at you before," she said gently. "I just don't like to talk about that."

She looked up. "I don't understand why you don't want me to care about you, Saki-chan…" she cried. "I thought we were sisters…"

Her eyebrows shot up. This wasn't the response she was expecting and she was not properly equipped to handle such a statement. She stared down at the child silently, her mouth slightly open. She had no idea how to reply.

She stared up at her, sobbing, for a long moment. "I want to care about you… I love you…" she sniffled. "Don't you love me?"

Her heart stopped as she heard the words fall out of the girl's mouth. She knew those words all too well. Her eyebrows quivered as she stared down at the child and saw herself in her eyes. _She's… like me…_ She slowly turned around and glanced at Ai and Junko, who were each staring back at her. She looked back at the child and swallowed. "Y-yeah… I do." She bent down to get on her level and put a hand on her shoulder. "We're sisters."

"B-but… we can't be sisters if I can't care about you…" she whimpered.

She looked up at the ceiling for a second and groaned internally. _Damn it… is that really a thing?_ She looked back down at the pain in the child's eyes and remembered how it felt to be in her situation. She couldn't deny her feelings. _What she wants is more important. And what she wants is a sister._ She took a deep breath. "Then you can care about me. Just you. I'll be your sister for real."

Her eyes lit up. "Y-you mean it?"

She nodded. "Yeah. If that's what you want."

The child dove forward into a hug. "I love you, Saki-chan," she smiled. Her heart beat happily against Saki's chest.

She stared at the door silently, feeling her heart pound against her. _This is what you deserve._ She closed her eyes and hugged her tightly. "I love you, too, kid."

Ai and Junko turned to each other. "It's a step in the right direction…" Junko whispered.

"At least we got something out of this," Ai replied.

After the hug had concluded, Lily wiped her tears off her face and looked up at her sister. "Saki-chan, I'm sorry I asked about your old family…"

She smiled gently. "You're fine. Sorry I yelled at you."

"It's okay. I still wanna know, but I won't ask you if it makes you upset."

"Let's just forget about all that, okay? Just don't think about it and we'll be fine."

She nodded. "Okay."

Saki turned toward the girls behind her. "You guys wanna go watch some TV? Or- wait, no! Star Wars episode seven! None of us have seen that yet!" she beamed.

"Yeah!" Lily cheered. She opened the bathroom door. "Let's go!"

Ai groaned as she rose to her feet. "I hope they made this trilogy better than the prequel one…"

Junko stood up as well. "I'm sure they learned from their mistakes."

Lily grabbed Saki's hand and dragged her out the door. "Come on, Saki-chan! Let's go see if we can rent it online!"

She looked down at the child dragging her through the house. _Someone who cares about me… I don't get it, but I guess just one can't be that bad._


	108. The Backhanded Present

Sakura sat on one of the mansion's many couches in its living room. She wore a white t-shirt with warm-colored circles, a pink short-sleeve jacket with flower petals on it in yellow, magenta socks, and white shorts. Everything matched very well together and it was a particularly cute outfit that was apparently supposed to be her practice clothes, but she found them to be better suited to casual wear now that she had moved past her idol phase. She was fully decorated in human makeup and looked as alive as ever.

"Grrraaahh…" Tae moaned. She was stumbling around the room quietly, bumping into tables and chairs. She seemed to be enjoying herself quite well now that she was back home. As well as a mentally impaired zombie could, anyways.

She watched the zombie's bumbling actions silently. _It really is boring around here with only the four of us…_ she thought to herself. _And until Tae-chan wakes up, it's a bit more like three… I wonder what she'll be like when she's awake._ She looked up at the grandfather clock. It was 10:22. _Maria-chan should be here any min-_

Yuugiri poked her head through the door. "Sakura-han, Maria-han is here to see you."

She glanced over at her excitedly. "Okay!" _Finally!_ She stood up and followed her out into the main room, which had had the glass cleared out of it the day prior, bouncing up and down with each step. "Good morning, Maria-chan!"

Standing before her in the genkan was Maria, dressed in a black t-shirt, a red hoodie with its sleeves rolled up, white shorts, and grey sneakers, staring down at her phone. "Hey, Blackout." She looked up at her and her eyes bulged for a moment.

She cocked her head as she stepped down into the genkan. "What's wrong?"

She shook her head and let out a slight smile. "It's nothing. I'm just so used to the zombie you, so seeing human you is weird."

"Oh…"

"Anyway, happy birthday!" She smacked her on the back. "How old are you today again?"

"Twenty-seven," she answered.

Yuugiri raised an eyebrow. "Were you not already twenty-seven, Sakura-han?"

She turned around. "Huh? No… I was twenty-six until today."

She brought a hand up to her chin. "Interesting… so people age on their actual dates of birth nowadays?"

Maria squinted. "Did they not when you were alive?"

She shook her head. "No. Everyone aged with the passing of the new year in my time. I suppose that was a rather arbitrary measurement of age." She took a paper fan out of her sleeve and started fanning herself. "So I'm 154, not 155…"

"Jeez, you're so old…" she mumbled under her breath. She turned back to Sakura. "Well, get your shoes on. We oughta get moving."

"Oh, right!" She sat down and pulled a pair of white shoes with pink laces and magenta soles out of the shoe cubby. They matched her outfit perfectly. She slipped them on her feet and started tying them.

"Matching shoes? Was this some kinda idol outfit or something?"

"Yeah, they were supposed to be my practice clothes…" she grunted as she tied a double knot on her first foot. "I thought it looked cute, so I decided to wear it today." She finished tying her second knot and stood up. "Okay, let's get going!"

A door suddenly slammed open across the hall and out marched Koutarou. "YOU'RE NOT GOING ANYWHERE, YOU STUPID ZOMBIE!" he shouted, his voice echoing throughout the halls.

Maria turned toward him and scowled. "The hell do you want, Shades?"

The man stomped over to them, pointing at the two. "I WASN'T TALKING TO YOU! ARE YOU A ZOMBIE, TOO? IS THAT WHAT YOU'RE SUGGESTING? DID THOSE IDIOT ZOMBIES BITE YOU, TOO, HUH?!"

She glared to the side. "Tsk! Whatever…"

Sakura stared at him questioningly. "What's wrong, Koutarou-san? Why can't I go?"

He stopped in front of her and looked down at her condescendingly. "You haven't accepted your present yet."

Her eyebrows shot up. "My present…?"

He reached into his pocket and produced a sleek new smartphone. "Happy birthday."

She gasped and took it in her hands excitedly. "Amazing! This must be one of those 'smart' cell phones people keep talking about!" She looked back up at him with a wide smile across her face. "Thank you, Koutarou-san!"

He merely continued staring down at her. "Now you'll be able to call or text if there's ever a situation where you need to contact me or anyone else."

She turned to Maria. "How do I turn it on?"

She reached over and pressed the power button on the side. Its screen lit up at her command, displaying a blue night sky with a white clock on top. "There. Now you touch its screen."

She watched in awe as the phone reacted to her fingers' touch. _This is really intuitive…!_ She swiped to the left and her screen turned into a camera. "Whoa…!" She pointed it at Maria and took a picture without warning.

"Hey!" she exclaimed, flustered.

She smiled and lowered the phone back down. She tapped the little icon in the bottom left to reveal the image she had taken of a shocked Maria. "You look cute, Maria-chan!"

She scowled. "I'm not cute, damn it! Gimme that!" She yanked the phone out of her hands and deleted the image immediately before handing it back. "Here, take another, but tell me this time."

"Okay!" She held up the camera again and captured Maria's chosen expression, which was her staring down the camera menacingly with her hands in her pockets. "I'm taking the picture now!" She pressed the virtual button and went back into the pictures to see a much more scripted portrayal of the girl. "Like that?"

She glanced at the phone and nodded. "Yeah. That's better."

She pressed the power button and the phone screen turned back off. "This thing is amazing…" she muttered to herself.

"You like it?" Koutarou asked cheekily.

She looked back up at him. "Yeah! This is really great!"

"Good." He held out his hand. "It cost 31,000 yen."

She paused for a moment and looked down at his hand. "Um… thanks? I don't think you're supposed to tell people the price when you give them something, though…" She cocked her head. "Do you want a high five…?"

Maria stared at her blankly. "I think he wants you to pay him back."

"EXACTLY RIGHT!" Koutarou exclaimed. "HUMANS ONE, ZOMBIES ZERO!" he cheered like a sports announcer, pointing at the two girls.

"Huh?" Sakura asked in shock. "I thought it was a gift!"

"I BROUGHT YOU BACK FROM THE DEAD, YOU DUMBASS ZOMBIE! ISN'T THAT ENOUGH OF A GIFT?! I CAN'T GIVE YOU EVERYTHING FOR FREE, YOU KNOW! I DON'T HAVE ANY JOB INTERVIEWS UNTIL TOMORROW AND I'M STILL RATIONING MY FOOD!"

 _Then why did you buy me a phone…?_ she stared.

Maria groaned and reached into her pocket. "Whatever. We were gonna shell out some cash for phones sooner or later." She produced a thick wad of notes and started counting out 31,000. "We probably would have gone more expensive, anyways."

"You have job interviews tomorrow, Koutarou-san?" Sakura questioned.

He put on a proud smirk. "That's right! I, the amazing Koutarou Tatsumi, have found many places willing- no, lucky enough to hire me!"

"Oh, that's good!" she exclaimed. "Do you think you'll make enough for us to be able to eat?"

Maria stopped counting money for a second and looked up. "You're still not eating?"

"Well, I do when I'm with you guys, but not here."

"It's not an issue," Yuugiri assured her. "After all, zombies seem to have no need for food." She brought her free hand up to her chin. "Although, I do wish we could eat something once in a while… it has been several weeks."

"I'll see what I can do once the paychecks start coming in," Koutarou replied.

Maria gave the group before her a concerned look before returning to her money counting. Finally, she produced a wad of notes and handed it over.

He snatched the money from her hand and stuffed it into his pocket. "Okay. Now you're free to go. Have fun." He turned around and walked back into his office with his hands on his hips. He slammed the door behind him.

She turned to the zombie next to her. "Was he always such an asshole?"

Sakura perked up and looked at her boss. "Huh? You mean Koutarou-san?"

She squinted. "Who else would I be talking about, dumbass?"

She smiled sheepishly. "Oh, right… Well, he used to be a lot quieter… He said he went through a lot after I died, so that's why he's so different. It's honestly really weird to think that he and Inui-kun are the same person, so I like to think that they're not." She looked down at the phone in her hands. It was far more advanced than the primitive smartphones of 2008. "A lot can change in ten years…"

"You're telling me. Ten years ago, I was a total wimp."

She gave her a blank stare. "Ten years ago, you were five…"

"And a wimp."

She sighed in defeat and looked down at the phone in her hands. "So this is one of those iPhones?"

"Looks like an iPhone 7 or 8," Maria replied. "They're a few years old at this point, which explains how he got it so cheap."

"Huh? Thirty thousand yen is cheap?"

She waved her hand. "It's whatever. Here, let me put my number in there." She picked the phone up out of her hands and navigated through its screens to the contact list, where Koutarou had already added himself. She added a new contact with the picture she had just taken of her. She handed the phone back to her.

"Why didn't you just use the infrared?"

She squinted. "The what?"

"Is that not a thing anymore? Using infrared to exchange contact information?"

"I don't even know what the hell that is."

"Oh…" She looked at the phone's edges and found no infrared receiver. "I guess not…"

"Now text me so I have yours."

"Huh? How do I do that?" She looked back at the screen at the contact info before her. "Is there a button for that?"

She rolled her eyes and pressed the button labeled 'message'. The phone switched apps and popped up with a keyboard.

"Oh, the keyboard is inside the screen! I've heard about this!" She started typing aloud. "Hello…" She paused. "Where's the comma?"

"Oh my god, you're so ancient," she moaned.

"Wait, nevermind! I found it!" She added a comma and finished her message. "Hello, Maria-chan! Send!"

Maria's phone buzzed and she took it out of her pocket. "Alright. Cool."

"You got it?"

"Yeah." She put both hands on her phone and started adding Sakura as a contact.

"Technology has come quite a long way since my time," Yuugiri observed. She stepped down into the genkan and extended her hand. "May I?"

"Oh, sure!" Sakura replied, handing the phone over to the courtesan.

She held it before her and tapped its screen all over the place. As it responded to her motions, her eyebrows raised slightly. "How interesting…"

"You wanna be careful with that thing," Maria warned. "If you drop it the screen'll shatter. Also don't get it wet or else it'll stop working entirely."

"Huh? It's that fragile?" Sakura asked. "Why would it cost so much if it's so easy to break?"

She shrugged. "I dunno. Probably all the features and whatever. You can get a case to make it harder to break, though."

Yuugiri handed the phone back to her. "What an interesting machine," she said. "It's amazing what they come up with these days."

Sakura took it and pressed the power button to turn it back off. "They had one of these coming out while I was alive, but I died before I ever got my hands on one. I wonder if-"

Suddenly, the screen lit back up on its own and it made a loud ding.

"Gyah!" she exclaimed in shock. The phone slipped between her fingers. "Oaah!" She swung her arms after her phone futilely. It tumbled toward the genkan's tile floor. "No, no, no!"

"Hup!" Yuugiri exclaimed as she rushed forward and caught the phone with the top of her foot. She elegantly leaned down, picked it up with her hand, and held it back toward her. "You must be more careful, Sakura-han."

She took the phone and looked down. "I'm sorry…" She read the message that had appeared onscreen. It was from Maria and all it said was 'Wassup'. She glared at her.

"Well, I didn't know you would freak out!"

She sighed. "We should get going." She slipped her new phone into her jacket pocket.

"The hell are you doing? Put that in a pants pocket or it's gonna fall out while we're driving."

"Oh, right…" She looked down at her shorts to see that she had no pockets. "Um, do you think you could hold onto it for now, then?"

She rolled her eyes, took the phone from her pocket, and stuffed it into her own. She pushed the front door open and stepped outside. "Let's go. We're totally getting you a case today."

Sakura gave one last wave to Yuugiri as she stepped out the door. "Bye, Yuugiri-san! I'll be back tonight!"

She smiled and waved back. "Have a good time, Sakura-han."

She ran out the door and bounded down the steps after Maria, excited for what she knew would be the best day of her lives to date.


	109. The Walk

The four zombies sat on the couch together watching TV. All of them were already in full makeup, just waiting for Maria and Sakura to arrive.

Saki wore an orange t-shirt, grey shorts, and white no-show socks. She was laying upside-down on the couch with her legs dangling over the back, challenging herself by still trying to watch TV. Luckily, she didn't have blood anymore, so she couldn't get a headache or anything from all the blood flowing into her head. She had already been like that for around 45 minutes.

On one side of her was Junko, who wore a pink blouse, a long blue skirt, and blue socks that matched her hair and skirt. Her hands were placed on her lap gently and she seemed very relaxed. There was a small smile present on her face. She was subtly leaning into Ai on her right.

On the other side of Saki was Lily, who was dressed in a yellow t-shirt, jean shorts, and ankle-high white socks. She also wore her trademark star from when she was alive and her hair was split into her typical two sides as opposed to the one ponytail she had been sporting in Dorami. She had dressed with the expectation that she would be moving and running around a lot excitedly. She knew herself very well. Her hands were on her knees as she was leaning forward and paying close attention to the program on TV.

Finally there was Ai, who wore a plain dark blue t-shirt and a blue plaid skirt. She also had black leggings on and donned several yellow flowers throughout her multicolored hair. She watched the TV absentmindedly as most of her attention was on her phone which she held in her hand. She was blushing lightly due to her contact with the girl beside her.

"Are you following along okay?" Junko asked.

Saki squinted. "I mean, I can hear what they're saying fine, but it's hard to tell what the hell is happening from my perspective."

"Maybe you could take out your eyes and turn them right side up!" Lily suggested.

"That's a terrible idea," Ai replied. "I've had my eyes knocked out before. It hurts so bad."

"Oh, when we were trying to leave the mansion for the first time?" Junko asked. "That was terrifying…"

"I'm not gonna take my damn eyes out," Saki groaned. "Sounds like a pain in the ass."

"Then just turn your head upside down!" Lily suggested. She grabbed her own head and twisted it around on her neck at an angle. "Like this!"

Junko gasped and looked away in horror. "Why would you do something like that?"

Suddenly, there was a buzz from one side of the couch.

Ai looked down at her phone, flipped it open, and read the message. She groaned as she rose to her feet. "Why doesn't she just ring the doorbell…?" she muttered under her breath.

"Are they here?!" Lily asked excitedly, twisting her head right side-up.

"Yeah."

Saki pushed herself up over the back of the couch and stood up without any problems. "Remind me tomorrow to tell Harue that we can apparently stay upside-down as long as we want."

Lily ran around to the back of the couch and grabbed Saki by the hand. "Come on, Saki-chan! Let's go say hi!"

"Yeah, okay." She let the child lead her out the door down the hall after Ai. She turned a corner and stopped at the edge of the genkan.

Ai opened the door with a hand on her hip to reveal Maria and Sakura standing side-by-side. She glared at Maria. "You could just use the doorbell, you know."

Sakura's jaw dropped as she saw her idol in human form with her memories of her life. Despite the red highlights, she was now completely recognizable as Ai Mizuno thanks to her makeup and the flowers in her hair. While she had seen her like this before at the metal concert, she didn't really know who she was at the time and didn't have the chance to appreciate it. "Ai-chan…" she whispered in awe.

She glanced at her and smiled warmly. "Hi, Sakura. Happy birthday. Your makeup looks really good. You ready for today?"

Her starstruck expression quickly turned into a wide smile. She nodded with incredible enthusiasm. "Yeah!"

"Good." She reached into the large shoe cubby Takeo had bought for the girls and found a pair of light blue sneakers. She sat down and started putting them on. "We'll be ready in a minute."

"Hi, Maria-chan! Hi, Sakura-chan!" Lily waved. "Happy birthday!"

"Wassup, Shrimpy," Maria said, tilting her head back slightly to greet her.

"Wassup," she replied with an identical nod.

Saki stepped down into the genkan and playfully punched Sakura in the shoulder. "Happy birthday, girl. Twenty-seven, right?"

She nodded. "Yup! It's a bit weird because I was dead for birthdays eighteen through twenty-six, though…"

"You're still dead," Junko reminded her as she stepped around the corner. "Happy birthday, Sakura-san."

She smiled. "Thank you!"

Ai turned and looked at the girl behind her. "Junko, can you grab the backpack from upstairs? It should be on the floor of our closet. Can you also bring my phone? It's charging on my nightstand."

"Of course," she replied. She turned and walked up the stairs.

Saki reached into the shoe cubby and pulled out a pair of orange tennis shoes. She sat down and started putting them on. "Got your key?" she asked the girls beside her.

"Actually, I think we can probably just walk there," Ai proposed. "It's less than a kilometer away."

"For real?"

"Oh, yeah, it is!" Lily added. She pulled her blue and white tennis shoes out of the cubby and sat down beside her. "We don't really need to drive when it's that close!"

"Damn, alright." She took her key out of her pocket and tossed it atop the shoe cubby.

"If we're walking, then you can have this back," Maria said to Sakura. She reached into her pocket, produced a smartphone, and handed it to her.

Ai blinked. "Is that a smartphone?"

Sakura nodded as she took the phone. "Yeah! Koutarou-san just gave it to me this morning!"

"Oh." She squinted. "What's the catch?"

"He made us pay for it," Maria answered.

She scoffed. "Typical." She stood up and walked out onto the porch with the others.

Junko walked back down the stairs and handed Ai her backpack and cell phone. Then she made her way to the shoe cubby and pulled a pair of black and purple sneakers out.

Lily stood up and marched out the door. "We're walking there, Junko-chan! So you don't need your key!"

"I heard," she replied. She took a seat and started putting the shoes on. "I left my key upstairs."

Saki grunted as she rose to her feet. "Whatever! Let's just go already! I'm seriously hyped for this!"

"Please be patient! I only just sat down!" she pleaded. She quickly tied her shoes and stood up. She stepped outside, closing the door behind her. "Okay, now I'm ready."

Lily produced a key from her pocket and locked the front door. Then she turned and leaped down the porch's steps. "Let's go!"

Saki jumped down after her. "Hell yeah!"

Maria slid down on the railing and joined the two girls at the bottom.

Ai rolled her eyes and walked down the stairs normally, followed by Junko and Sakura. "We're going left."

The six girls walked down the length of the driveway and populated the edge of the street. It was a particularly nice day out without a cloud in the sky. They soon turned left onto the main road, as the house was only the second on the street. The road ran alongside a small river and passed several backstreets.

"What're you gonna play first, Saki-chan?!" Lily asked energetically.

"I dunno. But I want a chance to beat ALL of your asses in Street Fighter!"

"Maybe you can beat their asses," Maria replied with a smirk, "but you're dead wrong if you think I'll go down easy."

"Girl, I've been playing Street Fighter since 1994. You're nothing compared to me."

"You haven't played in twenty years. You're out of practice."

Ai smiled softly. "There they go again…"

"Competitive as always…" Junko observed.

"And so soon, too. We've been walking for, what, a minute?"

"Not even that." She turned to Sakura. "How has your day been so far, Sakura-san?"

She looked at her and smiled. "It's been good!" She reached into her pocket and pulled out her new phone. She glanced down at it curiously. "Koutarou-san gave me this thing and I don't quite know how it works yet, but it's great!"

She blinked. "Wait, Sakura, look at me."

She glanced back at her. "Huh? What is it?"

Her eyebrows quivered. "Your eyes… they're blue."

"Well, yeah… wait, why are yours still red?" She ran in front of Saki and Lily and saw that their eyes were still red as well. "Yours, too!"

"Huh?" Saki asked. Her banter with Maria was cut short. She glanced at Sakura. "What's going on?"

"Your eyes!" She pointed to her own. "Why are they still red?"

"Why wouldn't they be? They're red now." She stared at her for a moment and her eyebrows shot up. "Wait, why are yours blue?"

"I have color contacts in," she explained. "I thought you guys would, too. You did when we did that concert when you all were still feral…"

Junko rushed over to her with her hands clasped together. "You mean I have a pair?!" she gasped. "What color?!"

"Um, I don't remember… Probably whatever they were when you were alive."

"What color were your eyes, Junko-chan?" Lily asked.

She glanced at the child happily. "They were grey. They were lovely."

Maria brought her hand to her chin and squinted. "Oh yeah, I can totally see it." She turned to the rest of the group, walking backwards. "What color were you guys' eyes?"

"Orange," Saki answered.

Lily gasped. "Mine were too, Saki-chan!" She grabbed her hand and swung it back and forth excitedly with a wide smile on her face. "That means we have even more in common!"

She looked down at her briefly. "That's pretty cool, I guess." She stuck her other hand in her pocket and let her sister hold her hand as they walked. She couldn't help but smile as she felt her giggling with glee.

"Mine honestly weren't that different from how they are now," Ai said, "but they were a bit lighter." She pointed to Maria. "Kind of like yours."

"I can get your contacts if you'd like!" Sakura piped up. "I'm sure Koutarou-san has them laying around somewhere!"

"Please do!" Junko requested.

"Okay! Remind me when I go back home today!"

"You can have your phone do that, you know," Maria replied.

"Huh? I can?" She looked down at the phone in her hands. "How?"

She held out her hand. "Gimme."

She handed it over.

She held down the home button and held it close to her mouth. "Siri, remind me at nine to get the contacts." She paused for a moment and stared down at the phone.

"Got it," the phone answered, "I'll remind you."

Junko looked around. "Who said that?"

Ai stared at the device. "Did the phone just say that?"

"Yeah, but it didn't understand me right," Maria scowled. "That's not what I said." She tapped on the screen and tried again. "Remind me at nine to-" She stopped as she backed into a red van and bent over backwards on impact. The back of her head connected with the hood of the car with a _thump_. She stood back up, grabbed the back of her head, and glanced at the car in shock. "Huh?!"

Saki immediately started cracking up. "You need to watch where you're going, girl!"

She stared at the vehicle silently for a moment, processing what had just happened.

"Got it, I'll remind you," Siri replied.

She looked down at the phone and read Siri's interpretation of her words aloud. "Remind me at nine her to do you need awash me a girl on girl."

Lily laughed. "That's not what you said! She's stupid!"

"Are you okay, Maria-chan?" Sakura asked.

She waved her hand. "Yeah, I'm fine." She stared down at the phone for another second, shrugged, and handed it back to her. "Whatever. You'll remember." She turned back around, put her hands behind her head, and kept walking. She noticed the group was headed toward the end of the road and they could either turn left to continue on the street or right to cross a small bridge over the river. "Bandages, which way are we going?"

"Right," she answered. "Then left, then right again once we reach the highway."

The group turned right and crossed the short bridge. It was small and quaint, decorated with pink cartoon rabbits. "Aww! Look at the bunnies!" Lily gushed, squeezing Saki's hand. "They're so cute!" She pet one of them as they went by, even though they were made entirely of hard plastic.

Sakura looked back at them and smiled. "They really are, aren't they?"

"Yeah, that's why I said it!"

Junko looked out at the river next to them in awe. "Saga is so beautiful… I wish I could have seen it sooner."

Ai smiled. "Yeah, it's nice. I've seen it before, but I never really had the chance to just wander around like I do now that I live here. It's a lot easier to take in all the sights when you're not traveling between shows while on tour."

"Even if we are zombie bikers," she added, "it really does feel like we're living a regular life now, doesn't it?"

"Yeah." She looked at the four girls in front of her to make sure no one was looking then slowly reached for her hand with her own. She interlocked her fingers with Junko's and blushed. "And Koutarou thought it was impossible," she laughed.

"I'm glad everything worked out."

"Me, too."

Finally, the group reached the end of the backstreet and found themselves on the side of a highway. "There it is!" Lily pointed with her free hand.

The group turned to see an enormous building in the distance with a massive bowling pin on top. It was several stories tall. "Whoa! That place is huge!" Sakura exclaimed.

Saki's jaw practically dropped to the ground. "That whole place is an arcade?!"

"Well, part of it is," Ai explained, "but it's really a combination of a lot of things. It also has bowling alleys, karaoke boxes, a roller skating rink, plus one of those mechanical bulls that people like to ride."

"Jeez, seriously?" Maria asked. "This place sounds great!"

"Karaoke? I wonder if they have any of my songs…" Junko fantasized aloud.

"I've only been once," Lily said, "but it was super fun!" She bounced up and down on her toes. "I'm so excited! I can't wait!" She started running down the sidewalk, dragging Saki with her. "Come on, Saki-chan!"

"Alright!" she replied. She started running herself and soon found herself outpacing her. She stopped. "Okay, wait. This isn't working." She released Lily's hand.

"Huh?" She turned around to see Saki kneeling down with both hands behind her back.

"Shrimpy! Climb on!"

The child gasped and stepped onto each of Saki's hands. She wrapped her arms around her forehead and clung on tight as her sister stood back up and started sprinting with her in tow. "Whee!" She grinned from ear to ear.

She beamed as she heard the gleeful sounds of the child. _Now things are REALLY looking up for us!_


	110. The Arcade Wonderland

Junko and Saki sat side-by-side in the lobby of the arcade. It was a small room, littered with many chairs and tables plus a few dart boards, albeit there were no darts in sight. There were a multitude of doors on the walls but most were locked. The only thing separating the lobby and the arcade was a pair of curtains. Muffled music bled through the cloth and livened up the otherwise boring room. The two 'old-timers', as Maria had oh-so gently put it, were told to step aside and let the 2000's kids handle their entry, so they were each staring at the rest of the group from a distance. "I'm not an old-timer, damn it…" Saki muttered under her breath. "Twenty years isn't THAT long."

"It's kind of long…" Junko retorted. "You're over twice as old now as you were when you died."

She glared at her. "If I'm an old-timer, that makes you one, too."

"I never said I wasn't."

She rolled her eyes and stared at the curtains. She could see neon lights poking through underneath. She bit her lip. "Damn it… I can't stand waiting!"

"Be patient, Saki. I'm sure they're almost done."

She glanced back at the group to see that they were all just standing around doing nothing. "They better be! I can't take it anymore!" She put her hands on either side of her head, looked up at the ceiling, and moaned. "This is taking forever!"

Sakura turned around at the sound of whining and walked over to her. "Is everything okay, Saki-chan?"

She looked back down at her. "Huh? Yeah, I'm fine. I'm just complaining 'cause this is just taking forever."

"Oh, okay. Don't worry! We're just waiting on the wristbands!"

"Correction," Ai said from behind her, "we have the wristbands." She walked toward the group holding three orange and black wristbands in hand. She, Maria, and Lily already had theirs on. "Everyone take one. This is how security knows not to throw you out."

Saki eagerly snatched one and quickly applied it to her left arm. She stood up. "Does this mean we can go in?!"

Maria held out a hand. "Hold on!" She pulled out her phone and started filming. "Yeah! Let's go!" She jogged backward through the curtains, taking extra care not to reveal how it looked on the other side.

Saki rushed for the entrance and pushed the curtains aside with both hands. Her jaw dropped at the sight of the arcade on the other side. "Holy crap…"

Before her lay a wonderland of arcade cabinets and machines with huge, bizarre control schemes. There were claw machines, coin pushers, and even slot machines, plus a large rope bridge hanging from the ceiling. Topped off with the heavy bass music in the air, the arcade of the 21st century was a sight to behold. And this was only the first two floors.

The rest of the group walked through the curtains behind her with mixed reactions. Junko's jaw dropped as well, while Ai beamed and looked around excitedly. Sakura and Lily smiled normally as they observed their surroundings.

Maria laughed. "You guys look hilarious!"

Ai turned to her. "How much money do we have left?"

"Huh? Uhh… I think it's around twenty thousand. Why?"

"Can I have a few thousand?!" she asked enthusiastically.

She blinked. "What? Why? Answer me, damn it!"

She pointed to the claw machines, each of which were labeled with a '100 yen only' sign. "I need it for the claw machines!"

"Oh." She handed her phone to her. "Hold this." She reached into her pocket and took out her money clip. "We still have to buy cake crap and hair dye, so no more after this, got it?" She held out several 1,000 yen notes. "You better win something."

"Oh, I plan to," she replied. She took the money, handed her back her phone, and raced over to a machine that exchanged bills for coins.

"Ai-chan! Wait up!" Sakura exclaimed, running after her.

Lily took Saki and Junko's hands and pulled them forward. "Come on, you guys! Let's get started!" She rushed into the maze of games with her stunned sisters.

"Is this for real…?" Saki wondered aloud.

"It can't be," Junko replied quietly. "This is unbelievable…"

Maria walked behind with her hands behind her head. "Told you you guys were old-timers."

* * *

Ai inspected the contents of each claw machine as she passed by, searching for something that really warranted her time and attention. She seemed to be putting a lot of thought into her selection due to her limited budget. It was laughably small compared to the hordes of cash she used to do this with when she was alive.

Sakura walked along happily, just excited to be spending some time with her idol and best friend. She was holding all the coins for her as she was the only one of them with actual pockets.

She gasped suddenly and rushed over to one machine. She pressed her hands to the glass and peered inside. "What IS that thing?!" she exclaimed.

"What?" She peered inside. It was a Pokémon-themed claw machine filled with plenty of plushies she didn't recognize, although she was familiar with a select few of them. "Oh, look! There's Pikachu!"

"Yeah, but what is THAT?!" she pointed. At the end of her finger was a small pill-shaped yellow man with blue overalls, black gloves, and goggles. Unbeknownst to them, that was no Pokémon. It was in the wrong machine. "It's so freaky, but also kinda cute… I have to have it."

"Huh? You don't even know what it is, though…"

"I don't care." She reached into the girl's pocket beside her and retrieved a coin.

"E-eh?!" _Where's this sudden assertiveness coming from?_

She slipped the coin into the machine and bit her lip, concentrating on her controls. She slowly moved the claw over the plush, stepped around to the side of the machine to make sure she was lined up, then pressed the button. "Come on…" She watched with anticipation as the claw reached down, picked up the toy, slowly crawled back up, then dropped it once it reached the top. "Agh, no…"

"I'm pretty sure these machines are designed to make you lose, Ai-chan…" Sakura said quietly.

She pulled another coin out of her pocket against her will. "I'm well aware. It's just a matter of time until it decides to let me have it." She squinted and once again carefully positioned the claw over the plush. "Besides, the sense of reward you get for finally doing it is incredible. Getting it out is half the fun."

 _She's really determined to get that thing… Even though the odds are really stacked against her, she keeps going._ A small smile spread across her face. _That's what I love about Ai-chan! I should help!_ She stepped to the side of the machine to help her maneuver the claw. "Okay, you wanna go a bit more back…"

* * *

The four girls walked through the aisles upon aisles of arcade machines, keeping their eyes peeled for one game in particular: any Street Fighter cabinet. Or, at least, any Street Fighter cabinet after the first one. According to Saki, the first Street Fighter was a 'total load of total crap', and only the second and third ones were really any good. Suddenly, Lily stopped and gasped. "Guys! Guys! Look!" She released Saki's hand and pointed at a large machine composed of four podiums of red, yellow, purple, and blue, plus a TV. Above the TV was a sign that said 'Pac-Man Battle Royale'. "It's 4-player Pac-Man!"

"Oh, Pac-Man?" Junko effused. "I've heard of this!"

"Everyone knows Pac-Man," Maria replied. "You guys down for a quick game?"

"Wait, so it's four players?" Saki asked. "How does that work?"

"Basically, we fight each other," she explained. "You can eat the other players and then the last person standing wins the round. Then we play to three wins or five rounds."

"Have you played before, Maria-chan?" Lily asked.

"Yeah, but never with four players." She turned to the zombies with a devious smirk. "You guys think you have what it takes?"

"I'll give it a shot, I guess," Saki chuckled.

"I'll participate if you want," Junko smiled.

"I want the yellow one!" Lily exclaimed. She ran up to one of the podiums and bounced in front of it excitedly. "Come on! Come on!"

"I call red!" Maria yelled. She made her way to the leftmost podium and gave Lily a fistbump.

Saki and Junko populated the remaining two podiums and looked down at the controls. "Looks just like regular Pac-Man," Saki observed. She pressed the start button and looked up at the screen to see three Pac-Men of different colors fly in from offscreen. A timer appeared on the monitor and started counting down from ten.

"Alright, let's go!" Maria cheered.

"Junko-chan, you gotta join in!" Lily yelled. "Hurry, before the timer reaches zero!"

"What button do I press?" she asked.

"There's only one button!" Maria yelled. "Just press it!"

"We're running out of time!" Lily cried as the timer got dangerously close to zero.

"Where is it?!" Junko panicked. Her eyes darted around the podium frantically. She saw the button, but didn't register its presence due to her frenzied state.

"Screw it!" Saki yelled. She leaned over and slammed her start button just as the countdown ended. She looked up and only saw the tutorial playing. "Did she make it in?"

"I dunno…" Maria replied. "I think she might have."

"I'm sorry…" Junko said quietly. "I've never played before."

"It's easy," Saki assured her. "You just tilt the stick to move and avoid the ghosts. If you eat a pellet, you get to eat the ghosts. Plus the other players, too, in this one, I guess."

"Oh, okay." She looked up at the screen as it displayed 'Round 1'. Luckily, all four Pac-Men were present. "I think I understand."

The word 'Fight' appeared onscreen and all four girls were off. Saki clenched her teeth and concentrated.

Maria was the first to grab a power pellet. Her red Pac-Man increased in size and she started chasing down the rest. "Get over here!" she yelled with a smirk.

"No!" Lily replied, leading her Pac-Man to a pellet. Hers enlarged as well and she traveled around the stage in an effort to cut someone off.

The purple Pac-Man bumped into the blue Pac-Man and both were knocked backwards. The blue one flew into the mouth of the red one and died immediately. "Who the hell is purple?!" Saki shouted. "You wanna die?!"

"You're purple, you idiot," Maria replied.

"Huh?" She looked down at her podium. Maria was right. She was purple. "Oh, crap! I thought I was blue!" She looked up just in time to watch herself get eaten by Lily. "Damn it!"

"Wait, which one am I?" Junko asked.

"You're blue!" Lily said. "You already died!"

"Huh? I know that. What does that have to do with the game?"

"Maria-chan killed you!"

She stared at the child for a second then sighed. "Nevermind… I don't understand," she muttered to herself.

"Don't sweat it," Saki replied. "I got screwed up right there, too.'

"Yes!" Maria exclaimed triumphantly as she consumed Lily whole. "In your face, Shrimpy!"

"What?!" she pouted. "I shouldn't have died there!"

She glanced at Saki with a cocky smile. "Aren't you gonna kick my ass?"

She smirked and looked back at the TV screen as the second round started. "I've never played this game before. Gimme a break." She kept in mind that she was purple and eyed the board. She quickly formulated a plan to decimate the competition and took off. She rushed toward a power pellet and ate it immediately. She started chasing down Lily.

"Get away from me, Saki-chan!" the child exclaimed. She attempted to escape but was soon eaten. "Awh…"

"Haha!" She shifted her attention to Maria, who was on the opposite side of the board. She moved off the side, looping around the screen in an effort to catch her off-guard. Suddenly, she shrunk back down to normal size and it was an even playing field once again. "Huh?!"

"You don't know this game as well as you think you do!" Maria remarked. She quickly ate a power pellet, turned around, and consumed Saki in one swift move.

"What?! The hell just happened?!"

"It's up to you, Junko-chan!" Lily yelled.

Junko was staring intensely at the screen and tilting her joystick in seemingly random directions. She clearly had no idea what she was doing and was demolished by Maria within seconds. "Oh…" she sighed.

"Okay, team against Maria-chan!" the child ordered. "If she gets one more, she wins!"

Saki and Junko glanced at her and nodded silently. They both looked back at the screen as the third but hopefully not final round started.

Maria snickered and rushed straight for the power pellet once again, but Junko rammed into her, pushing her out of the way. "Hey!"

"Nice thinking, Marshmallow!" Saki yelled, taking the power pellet for herself. She started chasing down Maria and accidentally consumed Junko in the process. "Whoops."

"Hey, I thought we were on a team!" she stated, clearly offended.

"It was an accident, okay? Relax, as long as one of us gets her, then we have a chance!" She followed the Pac-Man around the board and finally consumed it. "YES!"

"Saki-chan! Why'd you do that!" Lily cried. "That was me!"

"Huh?" She soon realized that she had been chasing Lily, not Maria. "Wait, no, that was wrong!"

"Nah, that was right!" Maria laughed. She ate a fruit and the board reset, replanting power pellets all over the place. She rushed straight for one and enlarged once again. It was a matter of seconds before Saki was history. "HELL YEAH!" She turned to the zombies next to her with a triumphant grin. "Looks like you all can't keep up!"

"Well, that was my first time," Junko reminded her, "and you've clearly had plenty of practice."

She shook her head. "Nope! I'm just a natural." She shot an arrogant grin at Saki. "Still feel like taking me on in Street Fighter?"

She smirked in response. "You're messing with the wrong girl, you know."

"Keep on yapping. We'll see." She put her hands in her pockets and walked away from the game confidently. "Let's go find a cabinet."

* * *

Ai and Sakura groaned in unison as the plushie once again fell from the crane. "Seriously?!" Ai scowled. "How many coins have we put in? Come on! Give it to us already!"

Sakura pounded on the glass. "Just stay in the claw, you stupid thing!" By now, she was invested, too. They had already poured almost all of their money into retrieving the toy and their efforts had been fruitless. She had grown incredibly frustrated, just as Ai had.

She held out her hand. "Next coin."

She reached into her pocket, produced yet another 100-yen coin, and placed it in her palm. She eyed the claw angrily as it slowly made its way over the plush once again and stopped.

"How's my position?"

"It's perfect."

"Okay, I'm lowering it." She pressed the button and pressed her face against the glass to watch the claw do its work. "Come on…" she whispered in anticipation. She sighed as its grip barely tightened around it. "Nope. Not this time." She held out her hand once again, already knowing that this attempt would fail, too.

Sakura reached into her pocket once more, but found no coins. "Huh?" She put her hand in her other pocket and found it empty, too. "Oh no… we're out of money?"

"What?" she groaned. "Are you serious? That was the last one?! We wasted all our money on ONE machine and we didn't even get anything from it?!"

She lowered her head and sighed. "This stupid machine…" She looked up to see the toy still in the same place it was before. It seemed like the claw hadn't so much as nudged it that time.

She kicked the machine in an outrage and immediately winced. "Ohhh…" she moaned. "I'm too used to wearing steel-toed boots…" She knelt down, grabbed her foot, and breathed sharply through her teeth.

"Ai-chan! Are you okay?" she asked. She rushed around the machine and gently bent down to help her.

"I'm fine," she replied. She rose to her feet slowly, put a hand on her shoulder, and sighed. "Well, it's no big deal. It's just a weird little yellow man. We'll have more chances to get creepy mascot merchandise. Let's go find the others."

She glanced over at her and smiled. "Okay."

The two of them walked away from the machine empty-handed, with only their increased bond as a reward. Sakura was happy with this result, but she still wished they could have gotten the toy. It seemed like it was just out of arm's reach. Suddenly, she stopped. "Wait…" She glanced back at the machine. _An arm's reach!_ "I know how we can get it!"

She turned back toward her. "How?"

She ran back over to it and knelt down in front of it. After looking left and right to make sure the coast was clear, she tore off her right arm and stuck it into the drop bay. She tossed it up the chute into the pile of plushies.

"What on Earth are you doing?!" she cried, running over. "Are you insane?"

"Maybe I am," she smiled. She stood back up and concentrated on grabbing the toy with her disembodied hand. Slowly, she forced her way across the pile and latched onto it. She turned back to Ai. "Can I borrow one of your arms?"

She stared at her in shock for a moment but soon laughed. "This is so stupid." She tore off her right arm and handed it to the girl in front of her.

She took it, bent down, and stuck it up the chute. "Can you reach my arm?" she asked.

"No, we're not even close," she replied. "Here." She reached down, tore off Sakura's remaining arm, and supported it herself, pushing the totem pole of hands up even higher. From this increased height, she was able to latch onto the arm at the end. She pulled the rope of appendages back down and grinned as the toy fell into the bottom of the chute. She pulled it out and quickly searched for a tag. "It's a…" Her face fell as she read it. "It's a minion." She looked up. "It's just called a minion."

She squinted. "Doesn't sound like a Pokémon…"

"It's not," she replied, clearly confused. "It says it's a minion from Minions! What's Minions?!"

She looked down at her two stumps. "Um, Ai-chan, can I have my arms back?"

She looked up and dropped the toy. "Oh, right! Sorry!" She reached into the drop bay and pulled out a right arm. "Whose is this?"

Sakura moved her fingers and watched the one before her flex. "That one's mine."

"Okay." She put it on the ground and reached in again, pulling out a left. She finally found her arm and twisted it back on. Then she helped Sakura with hers.

The two girls stood up with their prize in hand. They each looked at each other and giggled. "That shouldn't have worked," Ai remarked.

"We should have done that from the start," Sakura laughed back.

She grinned from ear to ear and dropped the minion plushie into her backpack. "Let's go find the others."

* * *

Saki put her hands on her hips and stared at the old arcade cabinet in awe. "It's been such a long time…"

Before her sat an arcade cabinet for Super Street Fighter 2 Turbo, still in pristine condition. Its opening cinematic played onscreen, eagerly awaiting a new set of players to come take it for a spin.

Maria took a deep breath and cracked her knuckles. "I hope you're ready to get trashed."

Saki snickered and stepped forward to the cabinet. She pressed a button to skip the intro sequence and go straight to the character select. "There's no way in hell I'm losing to you." She flicked the left joystick down once and picked Ken immediately.

She stepped forward and took the controls on the right, slowly making her way to Blanka. "Just like there's no way in hell you're dying?" she retorted with a smirk.

She paused for a moment, struggling to think of a good comeback. It was actually the best possible response she could have said. "Alright, you know what? You got me there." She turned and gave the girl a proud look. "Nice banter. That was really good."

"Shut up, I know it," she replied confidently. She picked Ken's stage and pointed to the screen. "Pay attention. We're starting."

Lily bounced up and down behind them excitedly. "Come on, Saki-chan! Show her who's boss!"

Maria scowled. "I'm the boss, damn it!"

"Round one! Fight!" the game ordered.

Saki immediately jumped back and threw a hadouken out to gauge the spacing between her and Maria. She found the room to be closing in as she naively approached with no attacks or movements of her own. This gave her ample opportunity to jump overhead and drop into a jumping hard kick, a crouching medium kick, and cancel into hard punch fireball. While it seemed like an incredibly fancy combo, it was fairly straightforward. She glanced at the face of the girl next to her to see how she reacted.

Maria stared at the action on screen in confusion. It immediately became clear to her that she bit off more than she could chew. She started spamming random buttons and flicking the stick in every direction.

She snickered. _She has no idea what she's doing. Better have some fun with this one._ She went ahead and did the command input for a medium hurricane kick and strung together a long list of kicks that knocked her out in several seconds. It made her look incredibly experienced, but in reality it was fairly simple and would have fallen apart if her opponent knew what she was doing at all.

"You win!" the game exclaimed.

"Wow, Saki-chan!" Lily exclaimed. "That was super good!"

"Yeah? You think so?" she laughed. She turned to Maria. "You even know how to play this game? Be honest."

She slowly turned her head toward her. "How the hell did you do that?"

"Round two! Fight!" the cabinet ordered once again.

"Hey, slow down, damn it!"

Saki chuckled and pointed to each button. "You see the different colors? Those say how strong your move is. Light, medium, and heavy. Top is punches, bottom is kicks. You can put in directions to say where it goes, too. You press up to jump." She brought her hand back to her own controls. "All you gotta do is string that stuff together to make combos."

"Okay. I think I get it." She looked back up at the screen and started her approach. She jumped into the air and started with a strong punch that was easily blocked. Then she stood in front of her, throwing out strong punches and kicks fruitlessly.

She stared at the action on screen with pity. "No, if you throw out strong ones all the time you're never gonna get anywhere. Strongs are usually combo finishers, not starters."

She looked down at her controls again. "So, what? I wanna use the light and medium ones until I have you in a combo?"

"Yeah, pretty much." She loosened her grip on the controls. "Go ahead. Try something."

She looked up and down between her controls and the screen for a moment before jumping into a medium kick and landing with a crouching light kick. She attempted to do a standard hard punch, but accidentally did a wild fang and started biting her. "Huh? What the hell?"

"Yeah, that's your grab. That happens when you're standing close to someone and you hard punch with a direction put in."

"Oh, there you are!" Ai exclaimed behind her.

The four girls turned to see Ai and Sakura approaching them with goofy smiles on their faces. "Oh, you're back!" Maria exclaimed. "What'd you win?"

"Something called a minion."

"Well, we didn't really 'win' it…" Sakura laughed.

"Aren't we interrupting your game?"

"Nah, not really," Saki replied. "I have to teach her how to play first."

"All that trash talk and she doesn't even know how to play?"

"Hey, shut up!" Maria frowned. "I'll kill you!"

"We're already dead," Junko reminded her. "We're zombies, remember?"

She groaned and turned back to face the cabinet. "I swear, she just loves to say that…" she muttered under her breath.

Saki laughed and turned back to the game. _Alright, let's end this._ She pulled Maria into a hurricane kick finished with a quick and easy shoryuken. From there, she carried her to the edge of the screen with several jumping and standing kicks. She finished off the match with a throw and looked down at the girl next to her smugly.

"You win!" the game exclaimed.

Maria blinked and turned toward her. "Was my mom good at this game?"

She laughed. "You kidding me? Reiko sucked at this game. I ALWAYS kicked her ass."

She turned around the rest of the way and let out a sigh of relief. "Thank god." She put a hand to the side of her head. "This is too damn complicated."

"Yeah? Well here's a lesson for ya: don't pick fights you're not ready for." She turned around, leaned against the cabinet, and rested her elbow on her shoulder. "You're good at banter, but if you can't back it up, then it's meaningless. It actually makes you look even dumber."

"Huh."

"So don't be a smartass until you actually know if you're good or not at what it's talking about."

She nodded and took in the lesson. "Alright. Got it."

She couldn't help but smile looking down at her. _Kid's picking stuff up fast._ She stood up and walked toward the rest of her crew. "Now that that's over with… let's go hit the rest of the arcade!"


	111. The Monster in the Mirror

After several hours at the arcade, most of the girls had had their fill. They had played most of the games in the arcade, ate at the food courts, and even messed around a bit in the jungle gyms on the building's upper levels. Of course, Saki, being the arcade addict that she is, was incredibly disappointed to learn that they were 'already leaving', even though they were there for an hour longer than they planned. Four and a half hours after they arrived, the six walked back out the front doors. "Well, that was fun," Junko stated.

"Now it's time to go make a cake!" Lily cheered.

Sakura held her phone, which she had purchased a protective case for in the arcade, in her hands. "I made a list of ingredients we'll need on my phone!" She proudly showed off her screen to the others. "See?" She scrolled through the list excitedly. "We really are living in the future!"

Maria stared at her blankly. "You're impressed by the notes app?"

"Well, my old phone was nowhere near this fancy!" She slipped the phone back into her pocket. "I never really took the time to appreciate the fact that I basically time traveled ten years into the future until now," she chuckled.

Ai rolled her eyes with a smile. "Well, anyways… the hair salon and the grocery store are on the same street, so we can hit both of them on the way home." She turned and started walking toward the crosswalk at the end of the street. "This way."

The group traveled the length of the sidewalk and stood at the corner of a busy intersection, waiting for the light to change so they could cross. Junko turned to Maria. "Have there been any promising emails since yesterday, Maria-san?"

She shrugged. "I dunno. Haven't checked." She whipped out her phone and started tapping on its screen. "I guess now's a good time, though…"

Saki put her arms behind her head and peered down at the girl's screen over her shoulder. "There better be something good in there this time…"

She opened the email app and was alarmed to see the sheer amount of emails the group had received overnight. "Three hundred eighty-one?!" she shouted angrily. "Are you kidding me?!"

"Seriously?" she gawked. "How the hell are you supposed to go through so many?!"

"Ugh, this is gonna take forever, damn it…" She started going through the email list just as she had the day before.

Finally, the light changed and the signal across the street gave them the OK to cross. The group started moving again and continued straight onwards. "The sooner we get out that video, the better," Ai said. She looked down at the child at her side. "What time do you think it'll be done tomorrow?"

Lily shrugged. "I dunno. I know we wanna film in the morning so the sun doesn't mess with the camera, but we'll have to edit it and stuff. I'm pretty sure I can do it on my phone, though, so it shouldn't take that long."

"That's fine," Maria replied. "Oh, by the way, we gotta start collecting tribute later in the day soon."

"Huh? Why?" Sakura asked.

"School starts next week," she answered without looking up from her phone. "You know how much of our money comes from middle and high schoolers? We gotta wait 'til school's out to collect if we want to make any real money."

Saki perked up. "Oh, yeah, I totally forgot that was a thing! Nice catch!"

She glanced up at her for a second. "You forgot school was a thing? We just talked about it last night."

"Shut up. You wanna die?"

She smirked and looked back down at the email list. Suddenly, her eyebrows shot up and she tapped on an email. Her eyes scanned it. "Hey, you guys probably wanna hear this one."

The group stopped and turned around. "What?" Ai asked.

She held up a finger and cleared her throat before reading. "To Dorami: I don't know where the hell you guys came from, but I don't really care. If there's one thing you idiots should know, it's that Yarunesu doesn't take threats to its empire lightly. Don't expect to live if you run into us on the streets. Signed, Teru Najakima, Prime Boss of Yarunesu." She looked up at Saki. "You know what Yarunesu is?"

"Uh… no. Do you?"

She shook her head. "No idea."

"Sounds like another gang." She grinned and put her arms behind her head. "Idiot's so full of himself. 'Prime Boss'? 'Empire'?" she laughed. "So stupid. We'll crush him, easy."

"Wait, there are more gangs?" Sakura asked. "I thought it was just Dorami and Korosuke…"

She squinted. "You serious? Why would there only be one other gang? Korosuke is just the one I died fighting and the one we ran into first. Of course there are more. And if we're gonna conquer Kyushu, we're gonna have to crush every single one."

"What exactly do you mean by 'conquer Kyushu', though…?"

"Basically, we want to be the only gang on the island and control all the territory," Ai explained.

"So we want to make sure no other gangs can operate?"

"Right."

"So we'll just destroy him like we destroyed Misa yesterday!" Lily cheered. She started punching the air in front of her excitedly. "Won't we, Saki-chan?"

"Hell yeah, we will!"

Junko looked up at the sky and pondered for a second. "I wonder how Misa's doing right now…"

She shrugged. "I'm sure she's fine."

* * *

After the whole warehouse incident, Misa had laid on the floor for several minutes before standing up, giving her members some time off, and going home. She ate a quick meal and headed straight to bed, where she remained even now, a full 24 hours later. There had simply been too much on her mind for her to move.

Since that fateful night when three bikes had disappeared from the Drive-In Tori parking lot, her quality of life had rapidly spiraled downhill. As Dorami made a resurgence, her grip on Karatsu had waived and she grew anxious at not being able to do anything. Not to mention the fear and stress that had come with being turned into a zombie and living in terror of a mysterious idol producer had easily pushed her over her limit. It took Yuugiri slapping her for her to realize that regardless of how calm she was about it, she had lost herself and been driven to desperation. She had pushed everyone away, taken advantage of people who trusted her, and ruined her reputation by acting near-sighted, selfish, and impulsive.

She had taken the night to process everything that had happened in the last fifteen days, calm down, and reassess her situation. She hadn't taken any time off at all since that day and the tranquility of an entire day in bed gave her ample time to recollect herself. Finally, after what felt like an eternity, she sat up and felt multiple pops and snaps go off throughout her body as she undid the rigor mortis that had set in during her rest. She reached for her phone on her nightstand and read the messages she had received in her absence. None of them were urgent, so she just set it back down. For the first time in over two weeks, she didn't care about work at all. She rose to her feet and made her way to the bathroom, but froze as she saw a figure in the mirror that looked remarkably similar to herself.

Before her was a monster. It was a green abomination with sunken red eyes staring back at her and mimicking her every move. It wore her pajamas, had her hair and earrings, and had the same bandage on her arm just as she did. It was her.

She stared at the monster for a long moment then walked over to the mirror. While she had seen her reflection before, she'd always had something else on her mind and she hadn't taken the time before to realize just how massive of a change this was. This was, by far, the most monumental thing to ever happen to her. It changed the entire course of her life. She placed a hand on the glass and watched as her reflection did the same. "I'm… really dead…" she whispered to herself. Suddenly, she saw the magnitude of her zombieism. She stared at her reflection for a long moment then turned around and walked back into her room. There was someone she needed to see outside of work.


	112. The Best Friend

Sakura dipped her gloved finger into the cake batter and licked it off. She smacked her lips and processed the taste. _Just a bit more salt and then it should be perfect!_ She reached for the table salt, gently shook a small amount in, and continued mixing the batter together. She was almost done with the mix, so she took a quick glance over her shoulder. "Lily-chan, are the pans greased yet?"

"I think so…" she replied. Before her on the kitchen island were two circular pans of varying sizes that she had been spending the last few minutes greasing up. Her gloves were absolutely covered in grease and the interior of each pan had a distinct sheen.

Maria paused the video she and Saki were watching at the table and looked up. "Remind me again why you have two different pans for the same cake?"

"Hey, I was watching that, damn it…" Saki muttered under her breath. She tapped on the screen with her left hand but nothing happened. "The hell?" She tapped again and again, each time more frustrated than the last.

"You're tapping with the wrong hand," Ai reminded her from across the table. "That's the bandaged one, right?"

"Oh, right." She switched hands and it worked like a charm.

"I'm trying something new, Maria-chan," Sakura explained. "I'm gonna try to make a two-layered cake and then stack them on top of one another to make one!"

"You mean like a wedding cake?"

"Exactly! I've never done it before, so we'll see how it goes!" She stopped stirring and inspected the mixture one last time. "Okay! I think it's ready!" She picked up the mixing bowl and set it down on the kitchen island. Then she reached for a rubber spoon and used it to split the mixture between both pans, ensuring that there was no batter left over. She set the bowl down and picked up the oven mitts she had laid out.

Lily opened the oven door behind her. "Hurry, Sakura-chan! Before all the heat gets out!"

She quickly picked up one cake after another and placed them into the oven as close to the middle as possible. She pushed the door shut and let out a relieved sigh. "Okay, all done!" She slipped off her oven mitts and her gloves.

Saki put her arms behind her head and sat back in her chair. "So how long 'til the cake is done?"

"Well, we just put them in the oven, but then we have to let it cool and frost it and let it cool some more… plus, we're only gonna have it after dinner, so probably two or three hours from now."

She sat back up and stared at her. "Two or three hours? For real? I didn't think it'd take so damn long."

"Well, we aren't eating until after dinner, so… It will."

"Damn it, what a drag!" Her arms dropped to her sides and she let her head fall forward onto the table. "I thought we'd be eating sooner…"

"I thought you said you weren't a big fan of sweets," Junko pointed out.

"I'm not, but I still wanna try it…"

Maria elbowed her in the side. "Hey. We got time to kill now. You wanna go do something stupid?"

She looked up at her out the corner of her eye, intrigued. "What?"

"Well, you got all your makeup on, right? You look human, so let's go take advantage of that. I was thinking… how funny would it be if we just walked into a hospital and took your head off?"

She slowly sat back up and stared at the girl for a long moment. Then a devious grin spread across her face. "Let's do it."

Saki and Maria rose to their feet and eagerly strolled toward the exit. "We're going out!" Maria called.

"Don't do anything too stupid," Ai warned. "Maria's only human."

"Yeah, I know!" Saki waved her hand as she walked out the door with Maria close behind her. "Let's get going."

"They really are a perfect match…" Sakura laughed.

Ai paused for a moment then stood up and made her way to the door. She peeked around it and watched the girls disappear around the corner. Once she was sure they wouldn't hear her, she walked over to the couch where her backpack was. "Alright, now's a good time." She fished around for a bit and pulled out her cell phone. She turned to Junko and Lily. "I'm gonna call Reiko."

"Okay!" Lily replied as she took Maria's former seat at the table.

Sakura watched in confusion as her idol left the room. She turned to Junko and Lily. "Who's Reiko?"

"Saki's old best friend," Junko replied. "The two of them aren't on good terms at the moment and we're trying to fix their relationship."

"Oh, right!" She paused and glanced back to where Ai went. "So, wait, why's she calling her in secret, then? Does Saki-chan not want to be friends with her anymore?"

"It's complicated," Lily responded. "You guys wanna watch TV?"

"I'd love to," Junko replied. She rose to her feet and followed the child to the couch. "Sakura, do you care to join?"

"Oh, I have to clean up first."

"Would you like help?"

"No, I think I'm good. Thanks." She watched the two girls take a seat next to each other on the couch and turned to the many dishes she had yet to wash. She picked up the mixing bowl, put it under the sink, and started scrubbing. _What's so complicated about it…?_

* * *

The hospital waiting room was calm and nearly empty. The only people waiting to be helped were a small boy with a broken arm and his mother. The receptionist at the desk was incredibly bored and was actually playing Solitaire on her work computer and sipping on her secret stash of alcohol. If only something exciting would happen.

Suddenly, the front doors swung open and in walked two girls. One was blonde and the other had more orange hair, but both had highlights. The blonde one was leaning on the other's shoulder and groaning while holding her head. "Oh… it hurts…" she whined with a slight smile on her face she was struggling to hide.

"Shut up, we're almost there," the younger girl replied. She was also trying and failing to contain an excited smirk.

The receptionist straightened herself out, tabbed back to where she was supposed to be, and watched as the two approached the desk. Once they were there, she started her spiel. "Welcome to Uemura Hospital, what seems to be the problem here?" she asked without a hint of care in her voice.

"My head hurts so bad…" the blonde whimpered. She raised a hand up to her forehead. "I think I'm gonna die…"

"You're not gonna die, damn it!" the supporter replied. "You're such a drama queen!" She turned to the receptionist. "She's got some kind of head problem. Think you can take a look?"

"As soon as I get some information I'll have a doctor check on you." She looked down and started typing on her computer. "Can I get a name?"

"I don't have time to wait for a doctor!" the blonde moaned. "Here, can you just take a look at it?" She stood back up at her full height and raised both hands under her jaw. She pushed and her entire skull came loose. She set it down on the desk in front of her. "Tell it to me straight, doc. Am I gonna die?"

"Ma'am, I'm not a licensed professional. I'm just the receptionist. If you want someone to help you..." The woman looked up from her computer to see a disembodied head sitting on her counter staring at her with a devilish grin on its face. "You'll… need… to…"

* * *

Saki and Maria howled with laughter as they sprinted out the front doors of the hospital, which had burst into chaos in their wake. "Holy crap, that was awesome!" Saki cheered. She twisted her head back on to free her hands up for a high five, which she swiftly received.

"You! Stop!" a nasally voice yelled behind them.

Both girls turned to see a security officer hauling ass in an effort to catch up to them. "Crap, it's security!" Maria cried.

"Chill out! We're gonna be fine!" She reached into her pocket and pulled out her key. "Just be ready to ride the second we sit down!" She looked back forward toward their bikes, which were a short distance away. Her heart thumped with intense adrenaline, despite the lack of blood, and her grin was a clear expression of her current high.

The two girls hopped onto their bikes, turned them on, and sped forward over the barrier into the sidewalk. They turned and sped down the street in the bicycle lane with Saki in front and Maria in the rear. Maria looked over her shoulder to see the security officer, dumbfounded, staring back at her. She turned back toward the girl in front of her and beamed.

The two girls rode down the road and turned left onto the highway. Saki noticed a gas station in the distance and realized it would be a great place to just sit and chill. She extended her arm to the side and pulled into the lot with Maria right behind her. She turned off her bike and rolled it up next to the general store at one side of the lot.

"Why'd we stop?" Maria asked. "You need gas?"

"Nah," she answered, parking her bike where it was. "Just thought it'd be a cool place to chill, y'know?" She took a few steps back and jumped up onto the roof easily thanks to her zombie-ness. She turned around and glanced at the girl staring up at her. "Here, I'll help you up."

She parked her bike next to hers, stood on its seat, and grabbed Saki's hand. She jumped and planted her other hand on the roof to help pull herself up. She soon found herself on the roof with her so she turned around, sat down, and let her legs hang over the edge.

Saki did the same on the girl's right and let out a satisfied sigh. "Now THAT'S the kind of trouble I like getting into!" She slapped the girl next to her on the back. "That's the best idea you've ever had, girl!"

"Yeah? You think so?" She smirked and put her hands in her pockets. "Wish more people would have seen it, though. We should do it again at a different hospital."

"Yeah. But for right now, let's just chill." She leaned forward and rested her elbows on her knees. "Man, it's been forever since I've done something like that…"

"You use to do this stuff a lot?"

"All the time. Well, not, like, taking off my head or whatever, but screwing with random people."

"Yeah, that's what I meant." She paused for a moment then turned to her. "How the hell would you have-"

"Shut up," she smirked.

The two sat on the roof in silence for a long moment, just watching the cars go by. After a while, Maria pulled out her phone and flipped to the camera app. "Hey, c'mere. Let's take a selfie together."

She glanced at her. "A what?"

"A selfie!" She scooted closer to her, wrapped her arm around her shoulders, and held her phone out at arm's length. "Here, strike a pose or something!"

She laughed. "You're so dumb." She winked and pointed at the girl with her right hand.

Maria started snickering and took the picture. She tapped on the album and revealed a selfie of the two girls, with Saki on the left and Maria on the right. "Aw, damn it. My eyes were shut."

Saki stared at the image on screen. It was a near-perfect recreation of her and Reiko's final picture together, aside from the missing Tamagotchi and change in location. A small smile spread across her face. "Nah, that one's good. Keep it."

She glanced at her out the corner of her eye, looked back at the picture, and realized. She grew her own smile, removed her arm from her shoulders, and put the phone back into her pocket. "You gotta get one of these so you can get with the times."

She glared at her with a smirk. "'Get with the times'? You callin' me old?"

"Well, I sure as hell aren't calling you young. You're, like, fourty."

"Thirty-eight."

"Whatever."

Suddenly, there was a buzz from a phone vibrating.

Maria reached back into her pocket and pulled back out her cell phone. "Oh, it's my mom. Hold on." She swiped to answer the call and held it to her ear. "Hello?"

"Tch." She looked away. _Way to ruin a good moment, Reiko._

"Yeah, she's with me. Why?"

She perked up and slowly turned back toward her. _What's she saying about me?_

She glanced at the girl next to her then handed her the phone. "Here, it's for you."

She stared at it for a long moment before taking it and holding it to her ear. "What do you want?"

"Saki…" Reiko's voice emitted from the speaker. She paused for a long moment before continuing. "Well, how are you? It's been a while since we talked."

"Yeah, it has. I'm fine." She leaned forward and rested her free arm on her knees. "What do you want?"

"Well, I know I never pressed you for this while you were alive, but I want to know now. Why did you leave home?"

She blinked. "What? I thought you said you didn't need to know."

"I said that the first time we met. Do you know how long it's been since then?"

"Okay, well you still don't. Besides, I don't like to think about that and you know it."

There was a sigh on the other end. "Listen, Saki… I care about you."

She paused for a long moment before letting out a slight chuckle. "Don't be stupid."

"I'm not kidding."

She stared forward into the road, slowly processing what she was hearing. After a few seconds, her eyes bulged open and she squeezed the phone. "YOU DO?!" she shouted.

"Of course I do! How could I not?! You were my best friend!" she yelled back. Her voice was choking up. "Was I not yours?"

"Your best friend?! You actually meant that?! You idiot! You might have been mine, but I SHOULD NOT have been yours!"

Maria's eyebrows shot up at Saki's words.

"What, so you thought I didn't care about you all those years?!"

"You thought that the WHOLE TIME?!"

"Don't you remember that night we met? What you did stuck with me! I cared about you right from the start! You were all I had!"

"You know better than anyone why you shouldn't!"

"So no one knows, then?!"

She gritted her teeth and held the phone away from her head. "Reiko…" she growled. She turned to see Maria staring at her and held out the phone. "Here."

The girl slowly took the phone from her and kept staring. Her eyebrows quivered.

She pushed herself off the roof and landed in her bike's seat. "I'm going home." She took her key back out of her pocket, turned on her bike, and sped off into the distance. _Damn it, Reiko… you're not supposed to care about me…_

* * *

Saki opened the front door and stepped inside. She could hear the sounds of the TV around the corner, but silently decided that she would pass. She quickly took off her sneakers without even untying them and threw them to the side. She started up the stairs.

Suddenly, Lily ran around the corner and looked up at her with a wide smile. "Saki-chan! You're back! Where's Maria-chan?"

"She's still out."

"Oh, okay! Wanna watch some TV?"

"No thanks. I'm gonna take a nap." She continued up the stairs to her room and shut the door, leaving the child to simply stare in her direction. She locked the door behind her and fell forward onto the bed. Unfortunately, due to the fact that it was an air mattress, it was deflated and she effectively face planted into the hardwood floor. She didn't care, though. She rolled over, stared at the ceiling for a moment, and shut her eyes. _What was so good about what I did that night that made you care?_


	113. The Origin

When Saki opened her eyes again, she wasn't in her room. Instead, she was in a bush. Multiple branches were poking at her face and she was covered in leaves. She immediately sat up and wiped herself off, all while spitting out the taste of leaves. "Pbbt!"

"Be quiet!" a voice behind her scolded. "You wanna get me caught again?!"

She turned around to see a young blonde girl wearing bright orange tennis shoes, a green t-shirt, orange shorts, and a red baseball cap staring her down. It was a very 90's outfit. She realized now where she was and what they were doing. "Oh, right. Sorry."

The girl rolled her eyes and turned back to the restaurant across the parking lot. It was Drive-In Tori, and she was waiting for someone to take the trash out so she could have a nice meal. After she had been found out at her last restaurant of choice, she found this new one and decided to give it a shot. This time, she would be more careful so she wouldn't get caught. That's why she was waiting in the bushes so that there was no chance of her being seen prior to her dinner.

Saki got into a squat and walked up next to her. Normally, this was about the time that she would start telling the girl to do something, but she knew what was about to happen was not a bad thing, so she kept her mouth shut.

Several months had passed since the girl had run from home and she had been hardened by hardship after hardship. Her clothes were stolen, she had fought off several fellow homeless people, and she had even once secretly hopped into the back of a truck to hitch a ride from one side of Imari to the other. With her new tougher side shining through, it was much easier to recognize her. She was Saki Nikaido.

Suddenly, there was a loud _creak_ as the back door of Drive-In Tori swung open. A young employee stepped out holding a trash bag and tossed it into the large steel dumpster. He watched it soar into the bin, sighed, flicked his hands clean, and walked back inside.

The human Saki bolted across the parking lot without a word.

Before the zombie Saki could realize what was happening, she was dragged straight through the bush by some otherworldly force. Countless branches _thwapped_ against her skin and she winced at the pain. She quickly rose to her feet and started running with her past self so that she wouldn't be dragged against the rough asphalt. Once she finally reached the dumpster, she jumped up onto its edge and took a seat.

The girl looked around the dumpster for the ladder and found it on its left side. She eagerly pulled herself up and peered inside, her mouth watering. To her great surprise, there was already someone in there. "GAH!"

The person in the mostly barren dumpster, a purple-haired girl wearing purple sneakers, black shorts, and a yellow t-shirt with a blue hoodie wrapped around her waist, looked up at her in shock. She was around the same age as her, but her clothes were much more tattered and dirty. "What the?! Who're you?!"

She put on the most menacing face she had, which, in reality, wasn't very menacing. "The name's Saki Nikaido!" She pointed to the garbage bag that the girl was tearing into. "And that's mine! Back off!"

"No way!" the girl replied, gritting her teeth. "I got to it first!"

"Well, I saw it first!" she yelled as she stepped down into the garbage.

"Well, I've already been here for two days! How long have YOU been here?!" She stepped forward and yelled in the girl's face.

"Doesn't matter how long I've been here! I saw it first, so I should get it!" She pushed her backwards angrily.

She stumbled backwards into the garbage bag and put her hands up. "This is my dumpster! I'm not gonna let you take it!" She grabbed the girl by her hair and dragged her around. "Nngh!"

As she was being led around by her ponytail, she started swatting randomly at the girl's arm. "Let go of me, you big forehead bitch!"

"Look who's talking!" she replied before misstepping and losing her balance. She tumbled to the ground. "Oof!"

The zombie Saki cringed at the two's awful fighting. _God…_

The human Saki rushed to take advantage of the fact that the girl was grounded. She planted a shoe on her stomach and stared down at her. "This is my dumpster now! Deal with it!"

The girl beneath her foot grabbed her leg and started shaking it. "I was here first!"

"Doesn't matter if you were! I take what I want! Go back to your parents!"

She stopped for a moment and stared up at her. "I can't go back."

She blinked. "W-what? Why not?"

"My parents…" She looked toward the garbage bag she was trying to eat out of and sighed. "They're terrible." After a moment, she glanced back up at her. "Why don't you go back to your parents?"

She slowly released her shoe. She clenched her eyes shut and shook her head as she thought about her father. She reopened her eyes and looked down at her pitifully. "I can't go back, either."

The two girls stared at each other silently for a long moment. There seemed to be an unspoken bond instantly forming between the two. Saki smiled and extended her hand. "What did you say your name was?"

"Reiko. Reiko Kirishima." She took her hand and let her pull her up. "Saki, right?"

"Yeah." She looked her up and down. "You got guts. I respect that."

"Thanks. So do you." She glanced at the garbage the two were fighting over. "Are you hungry? There's honestly probably enough for both of us."

"Yeah, actually." She took a seat next to the garbage bag. "You said you've been here for two days?"

"Mmhmm," she replied, taking a seat herself. She reached into the bag and pried its hole further open. "The rice here is really good and they throw out tons of it." She plunged her hand in into the garbage and pulled out a handful of rice. She held it to her mouth, smelled it, then popped it in.

"For real?" She reached in herself and pulled out her own clump of rice. She took a whiff and was pleasantly surprised. It actually smelled pretty good. She raised it into her mouth and savored the flavor. "Whoa! You really aren't kidding!"

"Nope! This place is the best. You think the trash rice is good? You gotta try it when they serve it to you."

"You been here before?"

"Oh, plenty of times. It's one of my favorite restaurants. Haven't you?"

She shook her head. "Nah. I lived on the other side of the city."

"Oh, really? Why'd you leave?"

She glared to the side and crossed her arms. "I don't wanna talk about it."

"Sore spot?"

"Yeah."

She shrugged. "Whatever. I don't need to know." She plunged her hand back into the bag and pulled out another clump of rice. "I left because of my parents. They're divorced and have issues, so they decide to take it out on me. Eventually, I got fed up, so I ran away last week."

She looked back toward her. "Last week? You've only been out here for a week?"

"Five days, actually. How long have you been out here?"

"Uh, I dunno…" She scratched her head. "What month is it?"

"June."

She blinked. "For real?! I thought it was May!" She facepalmed. "This is so… Damn it! I missed my own birthday."

Reiko laughed. "Well, happy birthday. How old are you?"

"Fourte- wait, no, fifteen." She plucked another ball of rice from the garbage, compressed it within her hand, and stuffed it into her mouth. "You?"

"Fifteen." She took another ball of rice and put it into her mouth. "So, how long have you been out here?"

"Four months."

"Four months? Really?" She leaned forward and put her hands on her knees. "Got any tips for a newbie?"

"Uh, yeah. Number one, always go for the balls when you're fighting a dude."

She immediately started cracking up. "Oh, you're a riot!"

She shrugged with a smile. "Well, that's not even a joke. That's genuine advice."

"I know, but you're so blunt about it! That's what makes it funny."

"Hey, what're you two girls doing in there?"

The two turned to see a police officer peering over the wall at them. "Crap, it's a cop!" Saki exclaimed.

"You two dumpster diving? You know that's illegal, right? I could have you arrested for that!" He squinted at Reiko and his eyebrows shot up. "Wait a second! You're that missing girl! You need to come with me!"

"No way!" she replied as she rose to her feet. "You'll take me back to one of my parents!

"Listen, just come out of the dumpster so we can talk. I don't technically have to take you back there."

She blinked. "You don't?"

He shook his head. "Nope. Just come out of there." He turned to the girl she was with. "You, too. I don't recognize you, but I bet you're a runaway, too. I promise I won't take either one of you back to your parents."

The two girls glanced at each other. Saki shook her head no, but Reiko climbed over the edge of the dumpster into the parking lot anyways. Saki groaned, rose to her feet, and stood at the wall of the dumpster to watch. The purple-haired girl landed on the ground with a grunt and looked up at the officer. "Okay."

He stared down at her and let out a smirk. "One thing first. Hold out your wrists for me."

"What, like this?" She held out her arms in front of her with her wrists up.

"Exactly." In one swift motion, he released the handcuffs from his belt and slapped them onto her wrists.

The human Saki gasped.

"Hey!" she exclaimed. "What's the big idea?!"

He tugged on the chain and pulled her toward his car. "I told you I could arrest you for dumpster diving." He turned and pointed at the girl still in the dumpster. "You stay there! I'm coming for you next!"

She ignored his orders. Immediately, she jumped over the edge of the dumpster and started running after them.

"Let go of me!" Reiko struggled. She tried and failed to break the officer's grip. "I don't wanna go to jail!"

"Listen. It's either jail or your parents." He opened the back door to his squad car and pushed the girl in. "You can decide on the way to the station." He closed the door and turned just in time to see a fist flying toward his face. "Oh-"

Saki's fist collided with the officer's jaw and made a mighty _smack_ sound. She immediately followed this up with a kick to the groin which crippled him. She turned and opened the door, freeing Reiko.

The girl jumped out of the car and started kicking the grounded officer in the neck. "What's your issue?!"

The other quickly joined in, swinging her foot into his chest. "Can't you tell we're just tryna survive out here?! Mind your own business, asshole!"

The two of them stood beating the officer senseless for a long time. The zombie Saki climbed down from her perch, strolled over to them, and smirked at the sight of her first ever punishment. Thinking about it never failed to put a smile on her face.

Finally, the human Saki was finished with her beating and stopped. She reached down into his pocket in search of the keys to the handcuffs. What she found instead, however, did not fail to excite her: she found a thick leather wallet. She pocketed it and kicked the officer once again. "Roll over!"

Reiko bent down and pushed him to his other side, where a ring of keys hung from his belt. "The keys!"

She reached down and disconnected it. She stood back up and looked down at the handcuffs, comparing keys to the keyhole. Finally, she found the correct one and started working on freeing the girl.

Once her wrists were free, Reiko chucked the handcuffs back down at the officer and put her hands on her hips. "Thanks."

"Don't mention it." She looked back down at the officer and scowled. "This dude is low."

"You said it."

"Okay, so, tip number two. Don't trust cops."

She smiled and crossed her arms. "Let's get back to eating."

"Wait, hold on." She bent down and picked up the handcuffs they had just broken out of. She snickered to herself as she snapped them on the officer's wrists, this time behind his back. She took the keys and shoved them into her pocket. "Alright, now…" She glanced at the parked squad car and stopped. Slowly, a delightful smile spread across her face. She turned back to the girl in front of her. "Actually, I have a better idea."

She raised an eyebrow and looked at the car. "What? Are you telling me you want to steal the car?"

"I mean, if you want to. I'm down."

She turned back to her, bug-eyed. "You're crazy!"

"Hey, we just almost got arrested, alright? And we just beat the crap out of a cop! We're criminals now! And if we're gonna be criminals, why don't we have some fun with it?"

She slowly brought a hand to her chin and pondered for a second. She glanced back at the car, then at her. She threw down her hand and smirked. "Screw it."

* * *

Saki and Reiko screamed with intense adrenaline as the car sped down the highway at jaw-dropping speeds. Reiko was the one who had taken the wheel and she was a natural. She was a particular fan of slamming down on the gas and just letting the car fly past all the scenery. As the speedometer twisted further and further, her screams became more and more ecstatic. It seemed to be a better measurement of fun than it was speed.

The human Saki turned to the girl in the driver's seat. "This is AWESOME!" she cheered.

She turned to her with a wicked grin. "I know, right?!" She turned back forward and slammed down on the gas. "This is amazing!"

The zombie Saki smirked in the back seat. _Biking is more fun, but this is still alright._ She gripped the seats tightly in preparation for what came next.

The girls sped south toward Imari at well over 100km/h and eventually reached a four-way intersection. Reiko gripped the steering wheel with one hand. "Get a load of this!" She grabbed the handbrake, pulled it back, and turned the car in an effort to drift to the right. She skidded across the ground and a loud _SCREECH_ erupted from the tires underneath.

The human Saki screamed in elation. "WOOHOO!"

She grinned from ear to ear and concentrated on completing the turn successfully. However, she overcompensated, and the car ended up spinning backwards. "Oh, no!" Both of the girls screamed as the car spun out. Reiko struggled to regain control of the car and it slid across the intersection toward a car in the other lane stopped at the red light.

There was a loud _CRASH_ and everyone in the car was jerked backward and the driver's airbag inflated. The vehicle quickly came to a stop and there was a brief moment of silence. The two girls in front slowly looked over their shoulders to see a white SUV with a front bumper that was absolutely destroyed. Its driver seemed infuriated at the accident and was screaming incoherently. They each turned to each other for a long moment before unbuckling their seatbelts, throwing open the car doors, and bolting across the intersection into the woods. Their joyride hadn't even lasted a minute.

The zombie Saki quickly jumped out and ran after the two girls as they sprinted away from the accident. She could hear the driver of the car behind them shouting obscenities at the girls, but she knew they didn't care. She weaved between trees and bushes to keep up with her human self, as she knew that if she didn't she would be dragged along and would likely be crashing into said trees and bushes. She followed them as the forest opened up to a residential street and followed them as they simply crossed these streets and jumped back into another stretch of the woods.

The two finally came to a stop a fair distance into the forest. They each took a moment to collect their breath. When they finally could speak, Saki started. "That… was awesome."

"It was, right?!" Reiko beamed. "I can't believe I just did that!"

"You better believe it! That was the best thing that anyone has ever done!" She held out her hand in an arm wrestling position. "You and me? We're sticking together from now on."

She eagerly grabbed her hand and nodded. "For sure."

She grinned with her new friend and stood back up with her hands on her hips. "Well, you wanna grab a bite or something?"

She shook her head. "I need to lay down and let this adrenaline wear off. My heart feels like it's going to beat out of my chest."

"Alright."

The two made their way through the woods a little bit more and came upon a large clearing completely surrounded by trees. It was a large, grassy hill. They climbed up to the top and laid down. From there, they could see over the treeline and they each got a good look at the lights of the city to the south. Saki put her hands behind her head and sighed in relaxation. "You know, that went pretty good."

Reiko laughed. "What're you talking about? That was a disaster."

"Yeah, but it was fun while it lasted, right?"

"I guess so."

"You were pretty good at handling that thing."

"Thanks. You were pretty good at screaming."

She chuckled to herself. "Well, it was exciting. I couldn't help it." She glanced at her. "You ever driven a car before?"

She shook her head. "Nope. You?"

"Never." She looked back up at the night sky. "Wish I could've before we crashed it…"

"Maybe we should steal another," she laughed. "After all, we are criminals now. Who cares what we do? We've got our whole lives ahead of us and no one to hold us down."

She raised an eyebrow and smirked. "You seem pretty dead-set on doing whatever for someone who thought I was crazy for wanting to steal a cop car."

"That was before. Now, I'm in. And if I'm in, I'm all the way in."

There was the distant sound of motorcycles driving by and horns blaring. Seems like one of the area's local biker gangs was moving around. It soon faded back into silence as the bikes went past.

A smile slowly spread across Reiko's face. "Wait, Saki."

She turned and glanced at her. "What?"

"What if we made a biker gang?" She held her hand up to the sky to help illustrate her point. "We could do whatever we wanted and we probably wouldn't have to worry about money. We could just spend our time riding around just like we did back there, but on motorcycles. We could take over all of Saga. All of Kyushu, even."

"A biker gang, huh?" She brought a hand to her chin. "Yeah, I guess that would be pretty cool."

"You wanna do it?"

She shrugged. "Why not? Got nothing to lose."

She scratched her head. "What should we call it, though? And where are we gonna get bikes from? What'll our uniform look like?"

"Don't sweat the small stuff. We'll figure it out." She looked back up at the sky and put her hands behind her head. "The only thing we can say for sure is that right now we're here laying on this hill, together." She let out a satisfied sigh. "Looks like things are finally looking up for me."

"For both of us," Reiko corrected. "Things are looking up for US."

The two girls glanced at each other and grinned. They fist-bumped. Saki Nikaido and Reiko Kirishima had found their calling.


	114. The Boss' Agony

Misa stepped off her bike, took off her sunglasses, and looked up at the mansion before her. She wore a grey sweatshirt, black sweatpants, and black sneakers. It was an extremely casual and comfortable outfit that she hoped would convey that she was not there to cause any harm. She pulled the key out of the bike, put it into her pocket with her phone, stepped through the gates, and slipped her hands into her sweatshirt pockets.

From within the mansion's walls, a furious storm of barking broke loose. Both front doors began to rattle.

She walked up the stairs and knocked on the door, though it was nowhere near as loud as the chaos erupting on the other side. She could see the face of Tae staring back at her through the glass and a large blue toy poodle with only one eye jumping up and bashing itself into the door. She raised an eyebrow at the sight of the dog. "They have a zombie dog…?" she whispered to herself.

Yuugiri stepped through a doorway to see what the commotion was and her eyebrows shot up as she noticed the silver-haired zombie through the glass. She stepped down into the genkan, calmed down the dog, and spoke calmly through the closed door. "Good afternoon, Misa-han. Might I ask what you're doing here?"

"I'm here to talk. Is Tatsumi here?"

She seemed surprised by this. "He is… would you like me to retrieve him for you?"

She nodded. "Please."

"Okay. Please wait here." She turned and disappeared down one of the mansion's corridors.

She glanced at Tae, who was eyeing her, unmoving and bug-eyed. She was the person who got her into this mess to begin with. Even if the girl behind the glass didn't understand it, there was an odd tension in the air. She stared at her silently for a moment before slowly raising a hand as a greeting.

Tae raised her hand in kind and pressed it against the glass. "Grauh…" she moaned.

She raised an eyebrow and tilted her hand and watched the zombie do the same. She started waving it back and forth with her. She couldn't help but smile. During her funk, she had failed to notice just how oddly charming the zombie was; she was too fixated on Dorami to care. But now it was strangely lovable.

Koutarou marched around the corner with his hands on his hips and stepped down into the genkan, soon followed by Yuugiri. He glared at Misa through the glass. "What do you want?"

She glanced over at him. "I've been doing a lot of thinking over the last day. I came to apologize."

He raised an eyebrow.

"I realize you were only trying to help," she continued, "and I acted irrationally. I shouldn't have lashed out at you and I shouldn't have tried to use Tae for my own needs." She brought a hand to the side of her head. "I haven't exactly been myself recently. If it's okay with you, I'd like to put that whole thing behind us and have a real conversation."

He hesitated for a moment before stepping back and opening the door. "Please come in."

She put her hands back into her pockets and stepped inside. She looked around at the mansion's interior and was pleasantly surprised. It was far nicer than her tiny, drab apartment, even if it was somewhat creepy. She supposed it was only fitting that a house for zombies be creepy as well.

The dog walked up to her and sniffed her feet. After a moment, he jumped up onto his hind legs, supporting himself on her leg with his front paws, and stuck his tongue out playfully.

She stared down at it in shocked confusion then shot a glance at Yuugiri.

"His name is Romero. He won't bite."

She looked back at it and slowly reached a hand down to pet it. To her surprise, he was accepting of this move and raised his head slightly to meet her hand. She scratched its head and smiled. The whole place was charming, really. In a strange zombie way.

Koutarou walked past her and opened a door on the side of the main room. "This way."

She removed the dog from her leg, took off her shoes, and made her way into the room. It had two couches, a chair, and a grandfather clock. She walked in and took a seat on the couch furthest from the door. She crossed her legs and rested her hands in her lap.

He sat down in the chair across from her and crossed his arms. Yuugiri followed and sat down on the couch between the two with the dog in her arms. Tae stumbled in as well and started walking around the room's open space absentmindedly.

She took a deep breath and closed her eyes. "Well, I suppose I should start…" She opened her eyes and looked straight across the table at Koutarou. "I'm sorry for the way I treated you. I've been incredibly short-sighted recently." She brought her hand back up to the side of her head. "All I'd been thinking about since two Sundays ago was work, but after what happened yesterday, I took the time to slow down and take it all in." She removed her hand from the side of her head and looked down at it. "Everything in my life has changed so fast… it's bizarre. I never gave myself the chance to fully digest it. I even forgot about it a few days ago during a fight."

Koutarou leaned forward and intertwined his fingers.

"So I suppose what I said before isn't necessarily true. I haven't come to terms with it and I don't know how to adapt." She looked back up at them. "As much as I hate to admit it, I need help figuring this out."

The courtesan stood up and nodded. "I understand." She sat down on the couch next to her. "Tell me what's troubling you."

She crossed her arms and leaned forward onto her knees. "There's just so much about this I didn't think about before… like how I'm literally a monster now. I'm a moving corpse. I died." She looked up at the girl next to her. "It's strange. Dying didn't hurt as much as I thought it would."

"Really? I had the opposite experience."

She glanced at the red scar lining her neck's outer surface and winced. "I see." Her head turned back forward. "It's difficult to wrap my head around how different my life is going to be now that I've died. There's no way I could have seen this coming a month ago." She lowered her head. "But I could have two weeks ago when I recruited a mindless zombie." She sighed. "It's my own fault I'm like this now. I was too fixated on Dorami to properly assess the risk I was taking. It was essentially a suicide."

"It's just as much my fault," Koutarou retorted. "I should have taken action sooner."

"Oh, hush," she replied, waving a hand. "If I'd acted properly you wouldn't have even felt the need to do anything at all." She looked up at him. "This is entirely my fault. I'll come to terms with that in time. It's better that I don't deny it."

He stared at her silently.

She matched his gaze for a few moments before glancing at the feral zombie stumbling around one side of the room. "She has a one-track mind, so I can't really blame her for what she did. She was only trying to protect her friend." A small smile spread across her face. "Maybe someday we can laugh about this together when she's awake."

"Perhaps," Yuugiri smiled.

"Graaauughhh…"

After a minute of looking warmly at the girl who bit her, she rolled up her sleeve, revealing a bandaged arm. She squished where the teeth holes were beneath and felt her fingers permeate her flesh. She shuddered. "To think that I'm going to be like this forever…" She looked back toward Koutarou. "So, legally, what am I?"

"You're unique in the fact that you are the only zombie who isn't legally dead," he answered. "If I were you, I wouldn't take that for granted."

She dropped her head. "The fact that what you just said even makes sense to me is appalling."

Yuugiri placed a hand on her shoulder. "It will take some getting used to. Take solace in the fact that you are not the first to have to go through this process."

She looked at her and cracked a smile. "Thank you. It really means a lot. I've been under a lot of stress recently."

"Stress, you say? I might know a massage or two that could help, if you're willing."

Her eyebrows formed a curious curve. "Consider me willing."

* * *

Ai pressed her ear to the bedroom door and paused for a moment. "I'm pretty sure she passed out again."

Lily sighed. "I told you she wanted to take a nap."

"Yeah, but you know what that usually means."

Sakura stared at the door. _So, wait, Saki-chan just left Maria-chan behind so she could come home and take a nap?_ She scratched her head in confusion. _She sure is odd…_

Ai turned around and leaned against the door with her arms crossed. "Should we go in there again or just wait until dinner to wake her up? She was out for a pretty long time last time, plus it's Sakura's birthday. We have better things to do."

The child pulled out her phone. "It's 4:40 now. Sakura-chan, what time do you think the cakes will be done?"

"It's actually only one cake," she corrected. "But it should be done in around an hour."

"We should just leave her there for now, then," Junko stated. "What are your plans for dinner?"

She smiled excitedly. "Well, I looked it up online, and there's a Chanpon place nearby!" She clasped her hands together. "I'm so excited~!"

"Didn't we spend all our money already?" Ai pointed out. "I don't think we can afford to eat out."

"Wait, did we…?" She brought a hand to her chin. She recalled her going over budget at the store and having to put a few things back. "Oh, yeah." she sulked. "Thanks a lot, Koutarou-san."

Lily smiled. "It's okay! I'm sure we have plenty of stuff in the fridge we can use to make dinner!"

She perked up. "Like what?"

"Um… I know we have shrimp, and frozen burritos…"

"I don't think frozen burritos constitutes a birthday dinner," Junko laughed.

The sound of the front door opening tipped them off. The group turned to see Maria walking in. "Oh, Maria! You're back!" Sakura exclaimed.

She glanced up at them for a moment then looked back down glumly. "Yeah." She shut the door behind her.

The four looked at each other for a moment then turned back to her. "Is something wrong, Maria-san?" Junko asked.

"No. It's whatever." She threw off her shoes and sulked around the corner out of sight.

The group all stood in silence for a moment then turned to each other. "One of us should probably check on her in a bit," Ai sighed. "Saki probably said something that rubbed her the wrong way."

 _Huh? How can she tell?_ Sakura turned to her. "Does that happen often?"

"She hasn't been like this in a while," Junko explained. "Not since Saki yelled at her the day after we met her. Or when she got punched in the face."

"Saki-chan punched her in the face?!"

"No, it was someone in an alley. It was a test run she did to see how good she was at collecting tribute. She was upset afterwards because it didn't go so well for her."

"Oh."

"Actually, Saki-chan did punch her in the face," Lily clarified. "Yesterday, while they were sparring."

Ai gave her a glare that doubled as a smirk. "That doesn't count."

She let out a mischievous smile. "I know."

She rolled her eyes and turned to Sakura. "Saki's fine for right now. Don't worry about her. We should just-" Her eyes widened. "OH! We never got to see the new internet! Come on!" She grabbed her hand and led her down the stairs.

"W-woah, Ai-chan, slow down!" she cried as she slipped down the stairs. She crashed at the bottom and quickly jumped back to her feet to keep up with her idol. Luckily, she was a zombie, so it didn't hurt, but it was still inconvenient.

Ai led her to the office where a laptop sat on the desk. She pulled up a chair and flipped the computer open. She was dismayed, however, as she was presented with an update screen. "Seriously? Now?" She groaned and turned to her, disappointed. "It's gonna be a bit."

She glanced over her shoulder to the door that led to the living room. "Um, while you're working on that, I think I'm gonna go check on Maria."

"Alright." She sat back in her chair and watched the computer whirr.

She turned around and sauntered out the office and into the living room. She saw Maria seated at the table with her arms crossed and her head laying in her arms. She walked in quietly and took a seat next to her.

Maria glanced at her out the corner of her eye and looked back down at the table. "What do you want?" she mumbled.

"I wanted to see how you were doing."

"I'm fine. Just leave me alone."

She leaned over a bit to better get on her level. "Maria-chan… You can tell me what's wrong. Maybe it'd make you feel better if you shared it with someone?" She smiled warmly.

She glanced at her again, but kept staring this time. "A leader has to be on the same wavelength as her teammates to get anything done," she whispered to herself. After a long moment, she sat back up with a sigh. "So… you remember how I said Saki was my best friend, right?"

She nodded.

"Well… my mom just called and they got into a fight over the phone. And… she said something that really stuck out to me." Her voice began to choke. "She said that she shouldn't be her best friend."

"Huh? She shouldn't be her best friend? But I thought they were best friends…"

"Apparently, it's a one-sided thing. I try not to get involved in their fights because last time I did, Saki blew up at me, but…" Her breathing picked up as she let her emotions get to her. "Well, if I'm anything like what my mom was to her, that means that what she said applies to me, too…" She put her head in her hands. "She's my best friend, but she doesn't want to be, and she's not telling anyone why…"

"Wait, I don't really understand… She doesn't want you to think of her as a best friend?"

She shook her head. "No… Mom said she doesn't want people caring about her for some reason… but that's part of why I'm even doing this. I don't get it… She's the first person I really… identified with. She's perfect for me. My… my other half. She's done so much for me and so much for Dorami… She's the best person I've ever met, but she doesn't want to be my friend…" She removed one of her hands from her face to wipe her nose and for a moment it was obvious that she was crying. "And if this is how I feel, think about how my mom feels… She was her best friend for a hundred times longer." She lowered her head back down onto the table. The fifteen-year-old's volatile emotional state had been shaken greatly by having her friendship denounced like this. She was heartbroken.

"Maria-chan…" she whispered.

The door swung open behind the two of them as Ai walked in. She glanced over at Maria crying and her eyebrows shot up. "Hey, what's wrong?" She quickly rushed over and put a hand on the girl's shoulder. "Maria? Are you okay?"

She moaned into the table sorrowfully.

She turned to Sakura. "What happened?"

"U-um, Saki-chan apparently doesn't think people should care about her, so she said that she shouldn't be her best friend, but she already is her best friend…"

She groaned and brought her hand up to her forehead. "Of course." She put her hand back down on Maria's shoulder. "Listen, Maria. She's got some kind of trauma that happened sometime before she met your mom that makes her think she doesn't deserve to be cared about. You're her best friend and she's yours, but she doesn't think that she's yours. It's complicated. But her saying that she's not your best friend doesn't change anything. She's told Junko, Lily, and I the same thing, but she's still our sister. It doesn't matter what she says. Your friendship is still valid."

 _Oh, that is complicated…_

Maria slowly lifted her head off the table and looked at her. Her face was red and her eyes were puffy. "Trauma?" she sniffled.

Sakura stood up and let Ai take her seat so she could be more personal with the girl.

She sat down and stared into the girl's eyes. "It's got something to do with the reason she left home in the first place. It's probably her dad, but we don't know for sure. She won't tell anyone. Every time you ask, she'll say that you shouldn't care or tell you she doesn't wanna think about it. She won't accept help. We've tried."

She stared at her for a long moment. "Why didn't you tell me?" she choked.

"We didn't know until Saturday night."

"So she's been suffering this whole time?"

"Pretty much."

"And she won't let anyone help her?"

"No."

She slowly looked back down at the table silently. She seemed to be thinking hard about something.

"You okay?"

She waved her hand. "I'm fine. Go back to whatever you were doing."

She sat there for a short bit longer then stood up. "I'll be in the office if you need me." She glanced at the girl behind her. "Sakura, you coming?"

She glanced at the oven. "I think I'll take care of the cake right now… I need to get started on the frosting, anyways."

She shrugged. "Suit yourself." She turned and walked out of the room.

She strolled over to the oven, slipped on the oven mitts, and opened the oven. She was blasted with a wave of heat and she quickly took out the cakes and set each of them on their own wire rack. She shut the oven, turned it off, and slipped off her oven mitts. Once she was finished, she looked back over her shoulder at Maria to see her with her hand on her chin staring back at her. "Is something wrong, Maria-chan?"

"No, I'm just thinking."

"Oh, okay." She turned back around and walked over to the pantry. She wanted to get started on the frosting. She reached in and grabbed vanilla extract and sugar then waltzed over to the fridge and found herself the milk and the butter. She set them all on the counter and started looking for a bowl.

"Hey, Blackout."

She glanced over her shoulder at the girl once again. "Yes?"

"You said Okoba was good at research, right?"

"Um, yeah…" She blinked. "Why?"

She turned back around in her chair. "I'm gonna make a quick stop on the way home."

Her eyes widened. "Wait, Maria-chan, are you-"

"If she won't tell anyone, I'll have to figure it out myself." She glared at her out the corner of her eye. "I don't need her permission to help her. I want a best friend and I'm gonna get one."

She stared at her for another moment before looking back at her ingredients. _She sure does whatever she wants…_


	115. The Birthday Party

Saki woke up as she felt a large weight push down her stomach and force all the air out of her. "GUEHH!" she croaked. She looked up to see Lily standing over her with a foot on her gut. "What the hell, kid?"

She smiled down at her. "Hi, Saki-chan! How was your nap?"

She rubbed her head as she sat up. "It was good." She pushed the child's foot off of her. "Don't do that again."

"Okay!" she giggled. She held a hand out to help her to her feet. "Ai-chan and Junko-chan asked me to wake you up 'cause it's dinnertime."

Her eyes bulged open. "For real?!" She grabbed the child's hand and pulled hard, but instead of being brought up, she yanked the child onto the floor with her.

"Uhee!" she wheezed as her head flew backwards with the forward motion of her shoulder. She flew into the deflated air mattress right next to Saki and landed with a _whump_.

Saki chuckled to herself. "Whoops." She sat up the rest of the way and turned toward the child, who was now face-down on the floor. "You okay, Shrimpy?"

She pushed herself up and glared at her over her shoulder. "You know you're not supposed to pull that hard, right?"

"Relax, sis," she laughed. She rose to her feet herself and shook out her legs, creating an orchestra of snapping and popping sounds. Then she bent over and slung the girl over her shoulder. "Let's go eat."

"Ah! No!" she cried playfully, pounding on Saki's back with her hands and kicking her feet. "Let go of me, Saki-chan!"

She stuck her other hand in her pocket and calmly walked down the stairs, the child struggling and laughing the whole way. She turned the corner and walked down the hall to the family room where the rest of the gang was waiting at the table, save for Sakura, who was cooking.

Sakura laughed at the sight of the kidnapping. "Looks like it wasn't such a good idea to step on her, Lily-chan." She had one hand planted on a pan, in which there was a large mass of shrimp, and the other on a wooden spoon. Nearby there were multiple squeezed lemon slices and scraps of garlic that she had clearly used to flavor the cooking fish. She also had the rice cooker set out on the counter, but it was already done.

She glanced down at the meal Sakura was preparing and snickered. "Hey, look! It's you!" She turned around so the child could see the shrimp in the pan.

"Damn it," Maria muttered under her breath.

Ai turned to her. "Told you she would."

"Shut up."

Saki glanced at the girls with a raised eyebrow. "The hell're you two talking about?"

"They bet on whether or not you would link the shrimp to Lily's nickname," Junko smiled. "You just proved Ai right."

"Oh." She waltzed over to the table and rubbed her eyes with her free hand. "How long until we actually eat?"

"I'm almost done~!" Sakura sang. She started scooping out pieces of shrimp and splitting them among six plates.

"Could you put me down already?" Lily pouted. "It's not really fun anymore."

"Oh, right." She leaned forward and set the girl on the ground in front of her. "Forgot you were there," she snickered. "You were just so light, it was like I wasn't carrying anything!"

She playfully stuck her tongue out at her. "Pbbt!"

She let out a sly grin and glanced at the table. She paused. "Hey, how the hell are we supposed to have dinner with six people if we only have four chairs?"

"Oh, hold on," the child said as she turned toward the closet against the wall next to the couch and pushed it open, revealing an additional four chairs stacked on top of one another that didn't match the table and two chairs that did. She pulled one of the matching chairs out and walked it over to one end of the table.

Saki picked up the slack and pulled the other chair up to the other end. She took a seat in this chair, which was currently next to Junko and the remaining extra seat.

Lily took her place at the table between Saki and Maria, who, seemingly zoned out, was in the middle of staring at Saki; she seemed to be pondering something.

Saki noticed Maria looking at her and glanced over at her. "What's up?"

"Oh, uh, it's nothing," she lied. She waved her hand casually to reflect her tossing the thought out of her mind for the time being. "Just, uh, wondering what I could crush you in. To make up for Street Fighter."

"I thought Street Fighter made up for Pac-Man," Junko pointed out.

"Oh, yeah." She smirked and crossed her arms. "Guess YOU should be finding something to crush ME in, then."

"Piano," she immediately replied.

Her cocky smile fell. "Okay," she mumbled.

"Okay! I hope you're all ready!" Sakura interrupted the banter at the table as she finished preparing their meals. She placed a small bowl of rice on each plate, topped off the shrimp with a small amount of seasoning and soy sauce, and carried them over, two at a time, to the table. She placed them before Ai and Junko first, then Saki and Lily, then Maria and herself. Finally, she took her seat. "Okay, everyone, dig in!"

"Whuh?" By the time she had said that, Saki had long since started eating. Her cheeks were already full.

"Nevermind," she laughed.

* * *

Some minutes later, the group finished their dinner and let out a satisfied sigh in unison. Their meal had been pretty quiet for the most part as the food was delicious. Ai sat back in her chair and smacked her lips. "That was really good." She glanced over at Sakura. "Did you use a recipe for this?"

She shook her head. "Nope! I just kinda freestyled."

"Well, you're really good at cooking, then, because that was great. Where'd you learn to cook?"

She grinned. _Ai-chan likes my cooking?! This is great!_ "I actually learned while I was in school. I pulled a lot of all-nighters and eventually you just get sick of all the snack food as midnight snacks and want something real to eat."

Junko seemed impressed. "So you're self-taught?"

"Well, there was a lot of trial and error and a few books from the library; it took a long time for me to get somewhere good." She scratched the back of her head sheepishly. "It was a pretty tedious learning process, but back then, I wasn't as depressed as I was when I died. So I taught myself over the span of a few months."

"Well, all that hard work paid off," Ai smiled.

"It really was great," Junko concurred.

Maria picked her teeth with her pinky finger. "Hell yeah, it was."

"Thank you for dinner, Sakura-chan!" Lily exclaimed. "You should cook for us more often!"

Sakura beamed at the compliments she was receiving. "Thank you, everyone!"

Suddenly, Saki started coughing.

The group turned to her. "What's wrong?" Ai asked calmly.

"Is she choking?!" Maria panicked.

"She's a zombie. She can't."

"Oh, right."

Saki shook her head. "I'm fine." She took a long sip of her water and wiped her mouth. "Ugh. I licked my lips. Makeup tastes like dirt." The makeup around her mouth had been washed off by her tongue, revealing what looked like a sloppy application of green lipstick but was actually her skin.

"Nice job," Maria laughed.

"Saki-chan looks like a clown!" Lily pointed.

"So she does," Junko chuckled.

"Huh?" Saki stuck her lips out in front of her as far as she could and looked down at them. They were most certainly green. "Oh."

"Don't worry about it," Ai shrugged. "You can wash the rest of it off after we have cake."

"Oh! Cake!" Sakura gasped. She rose out of her seat and looked eagerly at the counter, where a tall, layered white cake lined with dozens of strawberries sat on a large rectangular cutting board.

Junko stood up and placed a hand on her shoulder. "Let us handle this part, Sakura. You've done enough."

"That's an understatement," Ai commented as she pushed herself out of her chair.

She looked at her and smiled. "Okay!" She let gravity drag her back into the chair and watched as the group split up to handle the different parts of serving the cake.

"I got the knife!" Saki grinned, reaching into the knife block and pulling out the biggest one she could find. She turned it sideways and her face fell at her reflection in the blade. "Oh. I do look like a clown."

"Please be careful with that!" Junko pleaded as she cleared the table of its dishes. She stacked all the plates on top of one another, carried them to the sink, then went back to collect the cups.

"I got the lighter!" Lily announced as she ran across the living room holding a fireplace lighter high above her head.

Ai glanced at her and cocked her head. "Why do we have that? We don't even have a fireplace."

"We stole it from a movie set!" she giggled.

"Oh." She turned back to the kitchen drawers and continued searching through them. "Hold on, gimme a second to find the candles. I know I saw them somewhere… Where'd we put them…?"

"Did you check the ones in the island?" Maria asked as she pulled a drawer open. She reached in and held up a box of birthday candles. "Found 'em!"

She took the box from her hand. "Thanks." She used her fingers to pry the box open and reached in.

The girls formed a circle around the cake, blocking Sakura's view. She moved her head back and forth to see around them, but it was no use. Maria's hair was just too wide. Instead, she just bounced up and down in her seat, giddy with excitement.

After a moment of counting, Ai spoke. "Alright. That's the right amount. Lily, go ahead." She stepped back to let the girl light the candles.

She looked up at the cake, whose top was just barely below her eye level, and pouted. "Awh, I can't see!" She handed the lighter to Maria. "You do it."

The girl smirked and started lighting the candles. "You don't have, like, a chair you can stand on or something?"

"Too much work."

Junko reached into a cupboard and pulled out six small, clean plates. She turned and spread them out around the table where the chairs were, then produced a fork for each plate.

Sakura's cheeks began to hurt from how much she was smiling, but she couldn't help it. She was just too darn excited. Watching the group work was intoxicating.

Finally, Maria set the lighter down on the counter and walked over to the light switch. She flicked it downwards so the only source of light was the candles on the cake. "Okay, we ready?"

"I believe so," Junko said quietly.

"Alright." Ai grunted as she picked up the cutting board carefully. She glanced at Junko. "You know the birthday song, right?"

"Of course. Why wouldn't I?"

She paused for a second before answering quietly. "I don't know. I have no idea when it was written."

"Whatever," Saki groaned, "let's just do it."

"Right. On the count of three. One, two, three."

The five girls turned around and slowly made their way around the island to the table. "Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you, happy birthday dear Sakura, happy birthday to you!" Ai placed the cake down in front of her and backed up a bit. They had arranged the candles in the shape of the number 27 and there were also twenty-seven candles present on the cake. Clearly, the theme was twenty-seven.

"Make a wish, Sakura-chan!" Lily ordered.

She stared at the burning flames before her, but struggled to think of anything she really wanted that she didn't already have. Sure, she could think of material things like her old laptop or money, but that wasn't really something that you could wish for in a birthday wish. She looked up, saw her friends' expectant faces, felt an inexplicable warmth in her cold, dead heart, and knew what to wish for. With a smile, she glanced back down at the light before her face and closed her eyes. _I wish this would last forever._ She blew out the candles before her in one breath.

The girls around the table clapped, save for Saki, who instead bent down and wrapped an arm around her shoulders with a grin. "So, what'd you wish for?"

She reopened her eyes and glanced over at the girl. "Huh? I thought you weren't supposed to tell…"

"You aren't," Ai clarified.

"Whatever!" Maria exclaimed. "Let's eat some cake already!"

Lily started plucking candles from the cake's surface and piled them all into her hand. Once she had them all, she turned her hand over and stuck the bottoms of all of them into her mouth. "Mmm!" she hummed in delight.

"Is it good?"

"Tasty," she answered. "But I'm pretty sure it's only the frosting, 'cause I only taste vanilla." She turned, walked over to the light switch, and flicked it upward, illuminating the room once more. Then she set the candles down on the counter and rushed back over to the table.

Junko picked up the knife and delicately wove it through the cake's body down to the surface of the cutting board. It creased gently in response. She pulled out the blade and cut a second time at a slightly different angle. Finally, she laid the knife flat, forced it underneath the slice, and gently pulled the whole thing away, revealing a pink spongy delicacy on the inside. "This looks delicious…" she observed. She picked up Sakura's plate, laid the entire slice down on top of it, and placed it back down.

Sakura picked up her fork and eyed her masterpiece critically. _Hmm… it looks good._ She cut her way in and picked up a piece, lifting it to her mouth. She chomped down and processed the strawberry and vanilla taste, nodding thoughtfully.

"How is it?" Junko asked.

"It's good, but I've made better," she answered. "I think I took it out the oven a bit too early."

Ai laughed. "Don't work yourself up over it. I'm sure it's great." She picked up her plate and held it out expectantly. She soon received a piece of cake from Junko and dug in. Her jaw dropped as soon as the piece hit her tongue. "Oh my god, this is fantastic…" she moaned.

Saki used her fork to pick a piece off of Ai's plate and stuck it in her mouth. She shrugged. "It's okay."

"Okay? This is incredible!" She turned to the birthday girl, wide-eyed. "And you said you've made cakes even better? This is one of the best things I've ever eaten!" She eagerly picked up another piece with her fork and devoured it.

Sakura's face lit up like the sun. "You really think so?"

She nodded. "Definitely!"

"Lemme try! Lemme try!" Lily exclaimed, impatiently holding out her plate for Junko to give her her slice. Once she finally had it, she didn't even bother with the fork. She just picked a piece of it up and tossed it into her mouth. "Whoa! This is super good!"

Maria reached for the child's plate nonchalantly so she could have a taste, but her hand was soon swatted away. She scoffed and crossed her arms.

Junko smiled as she handed the girl a plate with cake already on it. "Here, Maria-san."

She took it, obviously trying and failing to hide her excitement. "Thanks." She picked up her fork and scooped up a piece into her mouth. Her eyebrows shot up. "Holy crap, this IS really good!"

"I know, right?!" Ai concurred.

Junko gladly cut herself a modest piece and plopped it down on her own plate. She took a bite and soon found herself in a similar state of euphoria the other girls were in.

Sakura watched with indescribable joy as her friends savored the taste of her cake. She glanced at Saki, the only one not losing her mind over the cake.

She shrugged. "I'm just not a huge sweets person, okay?"

"That's okay! I'm just glad everyone else likes it." She dug her fork into her own piece once again and raised it to her mouth. She glanced at the large cake, which had around half of it still uncut. _Hmm… maybe I should bring some home for Yuugiri-san and Koutarou-san…_

Junko turned to Ai. "When do we give her her present?"

Sakura perked up. "You guys got me a present?"

Ai's eyes shot open and a bright blush spread across her face. "W-well, um…"

Lily put down her cake and raised her hand. "I'll go get it!" She turned and ran out the room into the hall.

"Oh, god…" Her hands flew up to her face and she turned away from the birthday girl.

Sakura smiled. "Oh, you guys are so sweet! You shouldn't have!"

Saki smirked and glanced at Ai, who was covering her face with her hands. "I think Bandages agrees."

"Huh?" She glanced over at her idol. "Are you okay, Ai-chan?"

"Oh, god…" she repeated.

Maria laughed and wrapped an arm around Sakura's shoulders. "She's fine. Just nervous."

She raised an eyebrow. "Nervous? For my present?" _What could it be?_

Lily reentered the room with her hands behind her back. "Okay! I got it right here!" She happily skipped over to Ai and stood behind her. "Here you go, Ai-chan."

She took a deep breath and removed her hands from her face, revealing that she was blushing incredibly brightly. She shook out her hands, turned toward the child, grabbed the gift, and turned back to Sakura while holding it behind her back. Still blushing intensely, she stared at her for a long moment before looking away and holding out a familiar CD case that was decorated with multicolored silhouettes of mid-2000s idols. "Here. Happy birthday."

She gasped and snatched it from her hands. "Fantastic Lovers?! Thank you so much!" She beamed and held it close to her chest. _Could this day get any better?! The only thing that-_ She suddenly gasped and looked back up at her idol. "Ai-chan?"

She glanced at her out the corner of her eye. "Yeah?"

She held the CD out with a cute smile. "Is it okay if I get your autograph?"

As if by instinct, her hands flew back up to her face as she just about died of embarrassment. "Oh my god…" she moaned from behind her hands.

Saki immediately started cracking up.

Sakura chuckled quietly. _Now I understand._ She stood up, set the CD down on the table, and put her hands behind her back, smiling sweetly. "It's okay, Ai-chan. I get it now. This must be pretty weird for you, huh?"

"Yup…"

"That's okay. This is kind of weird for me, too. I guess that's just another thing we have in common." She felt a warm glow spread to her cheeks as she started blushing as well. "I'm embarrassed, too."

She peeked at her through her fingers.

"Asking for your autograph and everything… It's a little weird when we're this close. This whole idol-fan relationship is weird, right?"

"Totally weird." She lowered her hands from her face, revealing a much lighter blush than before and a slight smile. "But, at the same time, I kind of like it."

"Me, too."

There was a brief period of silence before both girls broke into laughter. "This is so crazy…" Ai snickered. She picked the CD up off the table. "Let me go find a sharpie or something." She walked out the room.

Sakura, satisfied at having eased the tension in the room, turned back to her cake. She picked up her plate and fork and took another bite wordlessly.

"Huh," Saki observed. "I didn't think you'd actually get her to do it."

"Me either," she admitted, "I was just trying to make her feel better."

Ai soon reentered, now holding a black sharpie in one hand and the CD in the other. She stood next to her at the table and popped off the cap. "And who should I make this out to?" she joked.

"How about 'Your Number One Fan'?"

"No, that's who it's from. I'm asking who it's to."

She paused for a second, confused, but then gasped as she realized what it meant. With a wide grin, she answered. "Sakura Minamoto."

She smirked and started writing something down on the CD. "I never thought I'd be signing another one of these."

Maria put another piece of cake in her mouth. "You never thought you'd be doing a lot of things."

"Like becoming a biker," Saki pointed out.

"Or time-traveling ten years into the future," Lily added.

"Or dying," Junko concluded.

She stopped writing for a second to glare at Junko. "I knew I'd be dying sometime." She looked back down and continued writing. "I just didn't think it would happen so soon."

Sakura sighed in happiness. "That's just how it is, I guess."

Maria crossed her arms and smiled. "You guys and your deaths."

"Hey, it'll happen to you, too, someday," Ai retorted.

"Yeah, yeah…"

"Are you done writing that damn thing yet?" Saki asked.

"Hold on, my message is kind of long…" Ai muttered. With one final swipe, she finished and handed the CD back to Sakura. "There you go."

"Oh!" She placed her fork on her plate and took the CD with her free hand. She flipped it over and looked down at the inscription on the cover spanning the bodies of several girls. It read: 'Dear Sakura, I hope you enjoy your birthday present. As weird as it is being such good friends with one of my fans from before I died, it's really nice to have you around. Never change. Sincerely, your number one fan, Ai Mizuno.' She looked back up at her and beamed.

She blushed incredibly brightly and looked away. "Okay, well, now that- ugh!" She grunted as she was nearly tackled in a hug. She dropped the sharpie to the ground and laughed as she stumbled backwards into the kitchen counter. "You're ridiculous, you know that?"

"I don't care," she laughed back.

The two girls held each other for a long moment before the hug broke up. Ai wrapped her arm around Sakura and they both walked back over to the table together. She glanced at the girl's red hair and smirked. "Why don't we take our cake upstairs and put some purple in your hair?"

She squealed with excited glee. "Okay!" She put the CD in her pocket and grabbed her plate.

Ai did the same and led the way out of the room. "The nice thing about being zombies is that we can just take our heads off and move them around to do the dying," she said. "We didn't figure that out until later, though, so this'll be my first time actually taking advantage of that."

Sakura followed her best friend down the hall happily. _Yup, I knew it'd be the best day of my lives._


	116. The Loss

Saki leaned forward with her hands on her knees. "Okay, you two ever heard of a game called Durak?"

"Durak?" Maria asked.

"Never heard of it," Lily answered.

"Yeah, it's a Russian card game. Lemme teach you." She reached for the cards on the table in front of her. "Me and the squad used to love this one."

Several hours after dinner, the three of them were hanging out at the small circular table in Saki and Lily's room. Both zombies had already taken their showers in Ai and Junko's room, due to their bathroom being in use by Ai and Sakura, and changed into their pajamas. Saki was seated on the edge of the air mattress, which had since been inflated, while the other two girls sat on one of the two heart-shaped floor pillows.

Saki started shuffling the cards in her hands. "So, the idea is to be the only one without cards at the end of the round. If you have cards, that makes you the durak."

"What's a durak?" Lily asked.

"It's Russian for idiot." She leaned forward to the table and did a riffle shuffle followed by a bridge finish. "In this game, there's no winners, just losers." She started dealing six cards to each girl. "Everyone starts with six cards in their hand."

The two girls each picked up their cards as they were dealt to them and put them into a fan.

Once Saki had finished dealing, she set the deck down in the middle of the table and took off the top card. She flipped it over to reveal a 3 of spades. "Spades is trump." She set the card face-up underneath the deck and picked up her hand. _Damn it. This hand is garbage._

Suddenly, a voice behind them called. "Hey, guys! Look!"

The three turned around to see Ai standing just inside the room with her hands on her hips. Her makeup was still on for the most part, but almost the entire length of her arms had reverted to their bandaged state. "What? Is she done?" Maria asked.

"Take a look at this!" Ai smiled, stepping aside and gesturing to the doorway.

In walked Sakura, whose makeup had been totally washed off. She had a nervous yet excited grin on her face. Her hair had undergone a fantastic transformation, though: it started red on top then transitioned to a rich purple over its length.

Saki slapped her knee, threw her cards down, and stood up. "Hell yeah! That's what I'm talking about!" She waltzed over and playfully punched Sakura in the shoulder. "Lookin' good, Blackout!"

Maria set down her cards and groaned as she rose to her feet. She stepped across the air mattress and nodded. "Yeah, purple does look good."

Lily hopped up and ran over to her. "It's so pretty!"

She grinned from ear to ear. "Thank you!" She held up her smartphone and looked checked herself out in the camera app. "I really like it. I think purple was a good choice."

Maria paused for a second as she glanced at Sakura's exposed legs. "Hey, didn't you die in a car accident?"

She looked back over at her. "Huh? Yeah, I did…"

She pointed. "Then what're the bandages for? What's underneath?"

"Huh?" She looked down at her arms and legs. "Oh, they're huge bruises."

"Oh, okay, that makes sense." She put her arms behind her head. "Welp, we should get going." She shot a look back at Saki as she walked toward the door. "Teach me that game tomorrow."

She gave a thumbs up. "You got it."

Ai turned to Maria. "You got everything I asked?"

"Yup." She reached to the floor and picked up the backpack, which she had filled with leftover cake. She handed it to Sakura then reached into her pocket and pulled out a pair of sunglasses. "Here, Blackout."

She took the glasses and slipped them on then dropped her phone into the backpack. Finally, she slipped the pack onto her back. "Okay, I'll bring everything back tomorrow."

"Goodnight, Sakura-chan! Goodnight, Maria-chan!" Lily waved.

"Bye, Lily-chan! Bye, Saki-chan! I'll see you tomorrow!" she waved back. She, Ai, and Maria walked out the room, down the hall, and down the stairs out of sight.

Once they were gone, Saki sighed and turned back to the table. She started cleaning up the mess of cards. "Damn it. I was really hoping I'd get to teach you guys tonight."

"It's okay! We'll just bring the cards tomorrow!"

"Yeah, I guess so." She took all the cards in her hands and started straightening them out. "Once Ai showers, we should totally watch episode eight."

"I read online that it wasn't as good as the other ones," Lily commented.

She shrugged. "Hey, as long as the fights are good, that's all I care about." She slipped the cards back into their box and noticed she was missing a few. "The hell…?"

"Oh, sorry," she said, holding her hand in front of her face. "I never put mine down."

"Nah, you're fine." She grabbed them from her and put them into the box with the others. Then she set them down on the table and stood back up. "So now what?" She glanced down at the child beside her. "You got games on your phone?"

"I got a few!" She reached into her pocket and pulled out her phone. She tapped on its screen, navigating the home menu. "Have you heard of Minecraft, Saki-chan?"

"Heard of what?"

"Minecraft! I think you'd really like it!" She pressed her finger down on the app, but paused as she realized something. "Oh, wait. You need two hands to play."

She snickered. "Yeah, that's not gonna work for me." She flexed her bandaged hand. "What else you got?"

Ai appeared in their doorway once more. "Hey, is Junko in here?"

The two turned to her. "Uh… no," Saki answered. "Why?"

"She said she was going to bed, but she's not in our room." She turned away and walked down the hall. "Junko? Where are you?" she called.

Saki and Lily glanced at each other for a second before rushing after her. They followed her down the stairs and around the corner. "Junko-chan?!" Lily yelled throughout the house.

There was the muffled sound of motorcycle engines as Maria and Sakura drove off into the night. Headlights illuminated the entryway for a moment through the house's front door then disappeared.

Ai stopped as she noticed the light was on in a room down the hallway on the left. She slowly walked toward it and peered her head around the corner. "Junko? Are yo-" In an instant, her questioning face turned to concerned shock. She bolted into the room.

 _Crap! Something's definitely wrong!_ Saki ran in after her, soon followed by Lily.

Seated in the desk chair was Junko, cleaned of her makeup and in her nightgown, weeping. She had her knees tucked into her chest and her head resting on her knees face-down. The part of her nightgown that her face was on was already soaking wet from the sheer amount of tears she had shed. She cried quietly, with the only sounds escaping her those of her heavy, staggered breathing and the occasional whimper.

Ai knelt down next to her and gently rubbed her back. "Hey, Junko…" she said softly. "It's okay. Just tell me what's wrong."

She weakly raised a finger and pointed toward the screen silently.

The three looked to the computer to see an article, dated January 5, 2002, on its screen. Its title was 'Tokyo Train Derails After Braking System Fails'. Saki looked back down at her. "All worked up about a random train accident?" she questioned.

"Not just any train accident," Junko whispered. "Read the third paragraph."

"Huh?" She turned back to the screen and silently read the paragraph in question. The first sentence made her freeze in place and regret what she had just said. 'Among the deceased were Kisho and Tomi Konno, parents of the late Showa-era idol, Junko Konno.' She stared at the computer for a few seconds before turning back to the girl in the chair. "Oh…"

Ai wrapped her arms around her. "I'm so sorry."

Lily walked around to her other side, did the same, and pressed her head into her sister's side.

Saki leaned forward and softly placed a hand on her shoulder from behind. "We're here for you."

Junko said nothing in response. Instead, she simply wept into her knees, shaking with each breath. Her back arched up and down as air rapidly flew in and out of her body in time with her sobbing. After a moment, it seemed like she had calmed down, but then she whimpered and the crying ramped back up.

"Let it all out," Ai instructed gently.

"I'm sorry," she whispered between breaths. "It's just-"

"Don't apologize. Just let it all out."

Her whole body quivered as she took breath after breath, letting her feelings exit in the form of raw emotion. Slowly, she calmed down and her breathing became much more controlled. After several minutes, she let out one final deep breath and sat there with her head on her knees.

"You're strong," Saki said. "You can get through this."

She nodded slightly. "I know, it's just… such a shock. I thought they might be gone, but knowing for sure is something else entirely."

"It's okay, Junko-chan," Lily peeped. She squeezed her tightly. "I lost my mommy, too."

"Were you close?" Ai asked.

"Of course we were," Junko answered with a sniffle. "They were my parents. I loved them. And now…" Her voice started to choke. "They're gone…"

"It's not your fault. There's nothing you could have done."

"I could have said goodbye…"

Her caring face shifted into one of concerned panic. She glanced up at Saki. "What do I say?" she mouthed.

"How the hell should I know?" she mouthed back.

"The morning I died," Junko elaborated, "I was running late. I had to run out the door unexpectedly to make it to my flight on time. I didn't have the chance to wake them up and say goodbye." She shook her head and tears flew from her face. "I just ran out and left them behind…"

Saki's heart stopped as she heard the girl before her lament over her lost parents. She knew that thought, that feeling of leaving her family behind all too well. Her eyebrows quivered. _She's… like me, too._ Slowly, she leaned forward and wrapped her arms around her like the others. "If there's anything you need from me, just lemme know. I'll be there for you."

"Me, too," Ai added.

"Me, three," Lily concluded.

She released her hands from her legs and held the three girls' arms close to her. "Thank you. Your support means so much to me." The comfort of the hugs seemed to help immensely, as her crying soon calmed down to just a series of shaky breaths. "It's good to know that I still have family left."

"Who?" Saki questioned.

She paused for a long moment before slowly lifting her head off her knees and turning it around as far as she could. She stared at her out the corner of her eye. "Do you not feel the same way?"

She hesitated for a long moment. _Wait… she's talking about us… talking about me. She thinks of me as a sister, just like Lily…_ She glanced past her at the computer. _Damn it… am I about to do this again?_ She looked back at the girl and saw the pain in her eyes and remembered how she felt during her brief moments of grief. _Doesn't matter how I feel. How she feels is more important._ She took a deep breath. "No, I do. We're sisters." She stared into her eyes. "And if you need to care about me for me to be your sister, then damn it, you can."

A small smile spread across her face. "Thank you. You have no idea how much it means to hear you say that."

"Yeah, yeah, it's whatever." She smiled gently and squeezed her sister in the hug. "You doing better?"

She glanced back at the computer screen and wiped her face off with her hand. "I think so. I prepared myself for this kind of result. I'm not as shocked as I probably would have been had I found out suddenly."

"You gonna be okay?"

"I'll be fine," she said. "As long as I still have you three."

"We'll be forever together," Lily assured her. She glanced up at Saki. "Won't we, Saki-chan?"

She smiled and ruffled up the child's hair. "Hell yeah, we will."

Ai stared at Saki silently. She seemed to be thinking about something.

Junko let out a sigh of relief. "Well, I should be getting to bed." She rose to her feet, releasing all the arms from her shoulders. "I shouldn't spend too much of my time dwelling on the past. After all, we do have a video to shoot tomorrow." She shut the laptop and turned to Ai. "Shall we?"

She glanced over at her. "Y-yeah." She rose back up to her full height and walked with her toward the doorway, shooting a quick glance over her shoulder at Saki.

"Goodnight, Junko-chan! Goodnight, Ai-chan!" Lily smiled.

"Goodnight," both replied in unison as they turned the corner and walked back down the hall.

"Guess we're not watching episode eight tonight," the child said. She looked back up at Saki. "You wanna go back upstairs?"

"Sure, kid." She stuck her arms behind her head and walked back out the room, flicking the light off as she left. She made her way around the corner and back up the stairs, followed closely by Lily. She looked into Ai and Junko's room as she passed and caught another glimpse of Junko, who was sitting on the edge of the bed next to Ai and having a quiet conversation. _Another person who cares about me… Is two really okay?_


	117. The Break-In

Sakura followed Maria through the streets of Karatsu closely. She didn't know where they were headed, but she felt it was necessary to follow her and keep an eye on her just as she had done with Ai and Junko when they first tried to run away. From what she could tell, she was somewhat reckless, and, when left alone, might get herself into some serious trouble. After all, it's not like she had anything better to do.

Maria made a sudden left turn into a small parking lot and skidded to a stop. She looked up at the sign for a moment then turned off her bike and walked it over to a parking spot right next to the exit.

Sakura followed her into the parking spot, turned off her bike, and looked up at the sign. "An orthopedic surgery clinic?" she read aloud.

"Yeah," she replied as she set down her kickstand. "We beat his ass pretty badly last time we saw him, remember?"

"Oh, right…"

She slipped her key into her pocket. "I know for sure I broke at least one of his ribs and Bandages probably did some serious damage on the spine, too. This is probably where he is." She put her hands in her jacket pockets and started walking toward the hospital doors. "C'mon. Let's go."

"Okay." She jogged over to her to walk alongside her. As the two made their way toward the doors, she felt a cool spring breeze upon her bare skin. She looked down at herself and suddenly remembered that she had clothing that some might call a little revealing. "Uh, Maria-chan…"

"Huh?"

"Don't you think I should cover up a bit more?" she asked, motioning to her green arms, legs, and face.

She stopped for a second, put a hand to her chin, and shrugged it off. "Eh, it'll be fine. Just act like you're in uniform." She continued toward the doors confidently.

"You're sure?"

"Don't worry about it!" She waved her hand nonchalantly. "It'll be fine!"

"Maybe we should wait until tomorrow…"

"I said it'll be fine! Chill out, will you?"

The girls walked in through the automatic front doors and were greeted with a small, quaint waiting room. Maria glanced to the left to see the reception desk and strut over. Sakura was quick to follow.

The receptionist looked up from her computer at the two girls. "Welcome to…" Her eyes drifted up to Sakura and her face fell. A piercing scream erupted from her lungs and she fell over backwards in her chair and started crawling backwards away from her.

Maria's eyebrows shot up. "Hey! The hell's your problem?!"

She backed into the bookshelf opposite the desk and quickly rose to her feet. "W-what are you?!" she cried.

She pounded on the desk angrily. "Hey! I asked you what your problem was! Listen to me when I'm talking to you, damn it!"

"Maria-chan, it's me," Sakura pointed out. "I'm a zombie, remember? She saw straight through the 'disguise'."

She glanced at her for a second then looked back at the panicking receptionist. "Oh, right."

The woman quickly rushed into the back room and slammed the door shut. There were multiple clicks as she locked it from the other side.

The two girls stood at the counter for another moment before Sakura turned to Maria and gave her a blank stare. "It'll be fine, huh?"

"Shut up."

She sighed in defeat. "Well, this was a bad idea. We should come back tomorrow when I-"

"Hell no," she scowled. She jumped over the desk and landed on the other side, knocking over a small vase of flowers in the process. "I am NOT about to go home without finding out what's wrong with her."

"Eh?! Maria-chan?! What are you doing?!" she panicked.

She bent over at the computer and started moving the mouse around. "I'm gonna find Okoba, no matter what. Don't need a damn receptionist to tell me where he is."

Her head turned back and forth, frantically searching to see if anyone else was around. "Are you crazy?! What if someone sees you there?!" _What's gotten into her?!_

"Then we'll deal with it." She clicked the mouse a few times then moved her hands to the keyboard. She typed in Okoba's name and her face lit up. "I knew it!"

"Did you find him?!"

She clicked on the entry and quickly scanned it. "Yeah, got him. Dunno what room he's in, though…" Her eyes jumped around on the screen.

Suddenly, a door on the other side of the lobby burst open. In rushed a security guard, red in the face. "WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING?!" his voice boomed.

She looked up from the computer, clearly startled, then looked over at Sakura. "Blackout! Watch my back while I find out where he is!" she ordered.

She glanced back at her, alarmed. "W-what?! I-I don't-" She was cut off as the guard from before tackled her to the ground. "Ugh!" she exclaimed as her skull crashed into the tile floor. The contents of her backpack kept her back off the ground and in that moment she was glad that all the cake was encased in tupperware. She looked down at the man on her and started trying to push him off. "Get off of me!"

"I DON'T KNOW WHAT YOU ARE, BUT YOU ARE NOT WELCOME HERE!" He sat up and shifted his entire weight onto her pelvis, grabbed her left hand and and pinned it to the floor, and started punching her in the face repeatedly.

"Nngh!" _What do I do?! What do I do?!_ She held up her other hand to block the punches and instinctively bucked with her hips, forcing the guard off-balance. She grabbed him by the back of the neck and pulled him down, tucked one of her legs behind his, and pushed with the other, forcing both of them to roll over. Now that she was on top, she was easily able to stand up and start stomping on him. She looked up at Maria. "Do you know what room he's in yet?!" she yelled.

"Gimme a second, I gotta-" She cut herself off as her eyes lit up. "Okay, nevermind! He's in room 318!" She quickly leaped back over the desk. "Let's move before more security gets here!"

The two girls sprinted toward the swinging doors and pushed their way through. They ran down the corridor, searching for room 318. After a few moments, Sakura began to notice that every room number they were seeing started with a 1. "Wait, Maria-chan, I think that room's upstairs!"

"Huh?" She stopped and looked at the signs and soon recognized the pattern. "Crap, this place is done by floor! We gotta find the stairs! C'mon!" She picked up where she left off, running ahead.

"W-wait for me!" Sakura cried. _How on Earth did I let myself get dragged into this situation?! This is insane! All this just to find out what happened to Saki-chan?!_ She glanced at Maria, who seemed more determined than ever. _Just how far is she willing to go for her?!_

Suddenly, at the end of the hall, a door burst open and a second security guard emerged. His eyes shot open at the sight of Sakura. "WHAT THE HELL?!"

The two girls stopped themselves immediately. "Crap!" Maria exclaimed. She turned back around and started running the way they came, only to be stopped when she saw the security guard from before catching up to them. "We're cornered!"

Sakura panicked. "What do we do?! What do we do?!"

Unlike Sakura, Maria was not panicking. Rather than just standing there freaking out, she was taking advantage of her adrenaline rush and making a quick observation of her surroundings. One thing she noticed was a fire extinguisher inside a case against the wall. She rushed toward it, threw its case open, picked it up, pulled the pin, aimed it at the floor, and squeezed the handle. A steady stream of white foam emerged, turning the area behind them into a slippery white mess the guard would have to slow down to cross. Then she turned it on the other guard and squeezed again, this time having the effect of temporarily blinding him. She threw the extinguisher to the ground, grabbed Sakura by the arm, and ran through the white mist. "C'mon!"

She struggled to keep up. "Maria-chan! This is insane!"

"I know, right?!" she shouted excitedly. She dragged her down the hall past the security guard who she had handicapped toward a door that was clearly labeled as a stairwell. She pushed open the door and started climbing up immediately.

"They're going upstairs, I repeat, they're going upstairs!" one of the security guards yelled from outside. "Get to stairwell B!"

"They're gonna cut us off!" Sakura wailed.

"Great," Maria muttered through gritted teeth. She climbed up past the door to the second floor. "Then we'll just have to fight our way through!"

"W-what?! How can you be so confident about this?!"

She glared at her over her shoulder. "You gotta have guts."

In a matter of seconds, the two reached the third floor. Maria threw open the door and stepped out into the corridor. She quickly read the directory, which told her that room 318 was to the right. She sprinted in that direction. "C'mon! We're almost there!" As she passed the first branching corridor, however, she was tackled by a security guard from the right. "Ungh!"

"Maria-chan!" Sakura cried, quickly rushing over and pulling the security guard off of her. She soon had her off of her, but couldn't pull her all the way up. "You know, this all could have been avoided if we'd just waited until tomorrow!"

"Shut up!" she replied as she rolled onto her back, pulled her knees up into her chest, and kicked the woman in the jaw with both feet. "I'm not waiting 'til tomorrow!"

She dropped the now unconscious woman on the ground to the left, helped Maria to her feet, and ran with her down the corridor.

"THERE THEY ARE!" a man's voice shouted behind them.

 _Oh, no!_ She glanced over her shoulder to see the two security guards from before absolutely booking it toward them. "Maria-chan! They're right behind us!"

"I know!" she replied, grabbing her by the arm. "Come on! It's right here!" She turned to a door on the left, twisted the handle, and pushed it open. She dragged the girl inside and slammed the door shut behind her. She quickly locked it and turned on the lights. After that, she leaned against the closed door and took a second to catch her breath. "Okay, we made it…"

"What the-?!" a nasally voice exclaimed.

Sakura turned to see a bedridden Shinta Okoba laying before her. She scowled. "Okoba."

"S-Sakura?! What're you doing here?!" He glanced at Maria. "A-and you, too?! What's going on?!" His eyes shot between the two frantically. "I swear I didn't publish anything! And I haven't sold any more info about you guys or anything!"

"Shut up!" Maria ordered. She walked forward to the side of his bed, still breathing heavily. "Listen, Okoba. I've decided to make you useful. What do you know about Saki?"

He blinked. "W-what? You're not here to hurt me?"

"I will be if you don't cooperate!" she yelled. She leaned in close and stared down into his eyes. Subconsciously, she put on her menacing face. It was significantly scarier now than how it was just a few weeks prior, thanks in no small part to Saki's influence on her. "She's hiding stuff from us. Stuff we need to know."

His eyebrows trembled in fear. "W-what do you want to know?"

Sakura heard a strange noise coming from her right. She turned just in time to see the lock being turned on its own. She gasped and rushed over to the door, pressing her body against it and trying to force the lock back to its regular position. "Maria-chan, we're running out of time! They're almost in!"

"Who's they?!" Shinta panicked.

"Security! We just broke into a hospital, idiot!" Maria yelled back. "What do you know about Saki's dad?!"

"Her dad? I don't know anything about her dad!"

"Then you're gonna find out and tell me." She looked around quickly and found a pen and paper on the table next to the bed. She wrote down the Dorami email address and handed the sheet to him. "Email me everything you find. And I mean EVERYTHING."

"A-and if I don't?"

"You get to stay here even longer." She stood back up at her full height and looked down on him. "You have 24 hours. Don't make me come back here."

He nodded hastily. "O-okay."

She turned back to Sakura. "Alright, we gotta get outta here."

"How?!" she cried. By this point, the guards had managed the lock open and were in the process of pushing open the door. She was losing strength. _What do we do? What do we do?_

She simply flicked her head toward the window. "I get on your shoulders and we drop outta here."

Her eyes bulged open. "Are you CRAZY?!"

"Gimme your backpack." She held out her hand.

 _I guess I don't really have much of a choice…_ She pressed a foot against the wall to maintain her force against the door and slipped off her backpack. She handed it to Maria, who put it on herself.

She jogged over to the window and quickly pushed it open. "Hey, good news! It's only a one-story drop! I can make this myself!" She lifted herself through the window and gave Shinta one last glare. "You better get me some good stuff."

"R-right."

She released herself and dropped out of sight.

 _Guess I have to go now, too…!_ She took a deep breath and sprinted straight for the window, letting the door swing open behind her. She heard the guards tumble into the room, but she couldn't look back. She dove straight out the window, leaving a shocked group of people behind her. Her eyes naturally looked downwards and saw Maria on the roof of a one-story high extension. Unfortunately for her, her dive was sending her soaring over it toward the parking lot. "GUAHAHA!" she cried, frantically waving her arms and legs through the air. However, this did not have its intended effect, as she could not fly. Instead, she started to tumble through the air and soon crashed to the ground flat on her back, sending all the air out of her.

"Nice going!" Maria laughed as she dropped from the extension. She ran over to her and stood over her with a smirk. "You were supposed to land on the part over there." She held out her hand to help her up.

She took it and allowed the girl to help her to her feet. After she took a few seconds to catch her breath, she looked up at her with an angry glare. "We're not doing that again."

She looked back up to the window with a smug smile as one of the guards from before ensured Shinta was okay and the other rushed out to catch them. "Not if Okoba pulls through. But I got a feeling he will." She slipped the backpack off her back and handed it back to her. "Let's go."

She sighed, slipped the backpack back on, and followed the girl back to their bikes. "Well, I still think this was a bad idea."

"Whatever." She sat down on her bike and pulled out her key. "I'm going home. See you at Kagamiyama tomorrow." She turned it on and sped out of the lot.

She watched her lights disappear around the corner and started her own bike. _I hope she finds what she's looking for…_ She pulled out of the lot in the other direction, leaving a breathless security guard in the dust.


	118. The Unexpected Guest

As Sakura rapidly approached the mansion, she took off her glasses and folded them shut with one hand. She released the throttle and started braking, soon coming to a stop outside the mansion's gates. She looked up at her home and smiled. Regardless of how stressful the chaos of the hospital break-in had been for her, today had been great. She let out a happy sigh. _Best birthday ever._ She paused for a moment. _Actually, maybe birthday number eight beats it… but only by a little bit._ She laughed quietly to herself and walked her bike through the gates, failing to notice the black Korosuke bike across the street in the park. She rolled her bike up to the shed, parked it inside, and made her way back to the front doors. She knocked on the door and waited patiently for someone to come open it.

There was a loud _BANG_ from inside. A few seconds later, a black blur dropped from the top of the stairs and rocketed to the door. It crashed against it, its glowing red eyes and toothy grin shining through the glass.

"GUAAH!" Sakura cried as she took a step back in shock. She took a second to process the figure on the other side and sighed once she realized it was just Tae. "You startled me, Tae-chan…"

"Grahgraah!" she replied thoughtfully.

She stepped back up to the glass. "Can you go get Yuugiri-san or Koutarou-san for me so they can let me in?"

Her smile fell and clearly turned to confusion. "Haurhh?"

"You know, Yuugiri-san and Koutarou-san? The people we live with?"

She cocked her head to the side.

She sighed. "Come on, Tae-chan, I know you're smart. Please, just go get someone who can open the door…" She reached for the doorknob and turned it to demonstrate, but was surprised when it actually turned all the way. "Huh?" She pushed the door open, trapping Tae behind it. _It was unlocked?_ She stepped through and closed the door behind her, making sure to lock it afterwards. "I thought we were concerned about security…" she mumbled to herself.

"Hragh…" the girl behind the door moaned. She took a clump of her purple hair and stuck it into her mouth.

"Ah! Tae-chan! No!" she cried. She pulled the hair from her grasp and held it behind her head away from her. "You can't suck on that! I just had it colored!"

"Auughheuheh…" she whined. She appeared genuinely disappointed.

"Why don't you chew on your own?" she suggested. She sat down and began taking off her shoes.

She seemed to take her advice, as she started munching on her one long black bang.

She quickly slipped out of her shoes and stood up. _Well, I better go say hi to Koutarou-san._ She made her way down a hallway to the right and threw open the door to his office. "Koutarou-san! I'm home~!" she sang.

The man in question was sitting at his desk having a drink. Upon the sudden entrance of the girl, he spit out his drink in shock and started coughing. "LEARN HOW TO KNOCK, YOU STUPID ZOMBIE!"

Unfazed by his shouting, she apologized. "Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you! Are you okay?"

He wiped his mouth clean and set down his bottle. "I'm fine."

She inspected his desk to see that there were multiple bottles scattered about. Some were even on the floor. She frowned. "Koutarou-san, have you been drinking all day?"

He paused for a long moment then answered with a plain "No."

She stared at him pitifully. _Poor Koutarou-san… He must be still stressed about Misa… If only there was something I could do._ Suddenly, an idea popped into her head and she gasped. "Here! I have something that might make you feel better!" She removed her backpack from her back and reached inside. She pulled out one of many tupperware containers containing cake and extended it toward him with a smile. "Here you go! Made it myself!"

His face lit up with excitement. "Is that CAKE? For ME?"

She nodded happily. "Uh-huh! It's vanilla and strawberry-flavored!" She set it down on the desk in front of him and pulled off the lid. "Let me grab you a fork!"

"No need!" He reached into one of his desk drawers and pulled out his own.

 _Huh? Does he just keep kitchen utensils in his desk?_

He plunged his fork into the cake and slowly lifted it to his mouth. As soon as he placed it on his tongue, a smile of childlike glee spread across his face. "MmmmmmMMMMMMmmmm!" he hummed in pleasure.

"You like it?"

"It's delicious," he replied. "The spongy texture… mixed with the soft, thin layer of frosting and the delectable taste of strawberry… it's irresistible!" He immediately stuffed another chunk into his mouth. "The sugar inside makes itself known immediately… the flavor is strong, but it doesn't overstay its welcome… it knows what it's there to do and it gets the job done! And an excellent job at that! Though it's cold, it warms my heart!"

Sakura stared at the man before her, stunned. That was the most thorough and shining review of her food she had ever received. "Wow… thank you…"

He was not done. "Its sweetness perfectly captures the innocence of youth," he continued, "and not only that, but transports you through time back to better days…" a wide smile spread across his face and he leaned back in his chair. He picked up the piece of cake and inspected it visually. "This slice… though it's wobbly and was clearly done with the wrong kind of knife, it brings with it a special care, like that of a mother nursing her young… This cake TRULY REPRESENTS THE INNOCENCE OF CHILDHOOD! A PERFECT ALLEGORY FOR A BIRTHDAY!"

She was dumbfounded. Although she didn't understand his metaphor at all, she was flattered. "Koutarou-san, maybe you should be a food critic…"

He chewed slowly for a moment and brought a hand to his chin. He seemed to be thinking about it silently.

She slipped the backpack back on her back. "Anyways, I'm glad you like it. Where's Yuugiri-san?"

"Upstairs."

"Thank you!" She turned and walked back toward the door, where Tae was waiting.

"You colored your hair," he observed.

She turned back around and let out a shy smile. "Oh yeah… Ai-chan helped me do it. Do you like it?"

"No."

Her smile quickly turned to an offended glare. _Rude._ She shut the door and walked back down the hall toward the kitchen. _I should get a fork for Yuugiri-san._

"Grauuh…" Tae moaned behind her. She followed her into the kitchen and watched as she produced a fork from one of the cupboards.

She glanced over her shoulder. "Oh, do you want a piece, too, Tae-chan?" She grabbed a second fork just in case. "Well, let's go find Yuugiri-san!" She walked back out the door, made her way up the stairs, and turned down the hall to the three girls' shared bedroom.

There was a laugh from inside the room. "Well, the job of a courtesan certainly was dangerous and there were often those who refused to pay, but I never had to deal with anything quite like that."

Her eyebrows lowered. _Is that Yuugiri-san? Who's she talking to?_ She quietly snuck over to the door and peered through the doorway. She gasped at what she saw.

Seated in front of the couch was Yuugiri and Misa, seated on either side of the red opium lamp. Misa took a long draw of her pipe, blew a thick line of smoke, and looked back at her. "What did you do when they wouldn't pay?"

"Usually I wouldn't do anything. Those were dangerous times, you know. Speaking out against those in power could easily result in death."

"So you never did anything?"

"I did once." She brought a hand up to her neck and gently rubbed it. "It ended poorly."

Sakura's eyes darted between the two women frantically. _What the hell is Misa doing here?!_

"Hraag…" Tae moaned as she walked straight past her into the room. She stumbled over to Misa and stopped next to her.

Misa looked up at her arrival and held up a small piece of her hair. She smiled as the zombie released her own bang and graciously munched down on her silver locks. Her gaze naturally turned to the door. "Good evening, Sakura."

She stared at her for a long moment, unsure of how to respond. _She's… not attacking them?_ She glanced at Yuugiri.

"You don't need to be alarmed," she assured her. "Lady Misa has been a most delightful guest. Come, have a seat."

She hesitated, but soon complied. _If you say so…_ She slowly stepped into the room and walked over to where the rest were. She took a seat and crossed her legs, her eyes shooting between the two.

"Your hair looks nice," Misa said. "The purple really suits you."

"Um… thanks?"

She let out a small smirk. "You're confused as to why I'm here, aren't you?"

"Well, yeah… I thought you hated us. Me, especially."

She sighed. "I thought I did, too." She held up her hand in front of her face. "But after what happened yesterday, I took some time to collect my thoughts and found that I'd become blinded by my own obsession."

"Blinded by your own obsession…?"

"I wasn't thinking straight and it took a good slap from Yuugiri here for me to realize that." She moved her hand away and gave Sakura a sincere look. "As far as apologies go, you shouldn't have been the one who apologized last week. It should have been me."

"Huh?"

"It wasn't your fault, nor was it Tae's, that I became a zombie. It was my own. I'm sorry I pressured you into joining Korosuke. I took advantage of you and I shouldn't have. I realize that now. I also apologize for trying to have you killed last Wednesday, for throwing you off a cliff last Friday, and for kidnapping your… housemate last Saturday. I was acting irrationally."

She stared at her in a blend of confusion and awe. _Misa-san…_

"I've done so much to wrong you and I'd like to set things right. Can I ask for your forgiveness?"

She paused for a long moment before letting out a generous smile. "Of course you can. After all, I don't think mistakes or failures are a bad thing. You'll only be the best version of you after you overcome it all."

"Thank you." She took another long draw of her pipe and blew a stream of smoke off to the side. "That's unexpectedly profound of you."

"Well, not really… I kinda stole it from Ai-chan," she giggled. "I didn't know you smoked."

"I usually don't, but I figured I'd might as well give it a try. Considering I'm a zombie now, its effects are ineffective against me."

Yuugiri raised an eyebrow. "Are they? I'm still experiencing the same high."

"Then that's a placebo."

She blinked. "Sorry, I don't know what that is."

She paused for a moment and shot a glance at Sakura, who was staring back at her. She looked back over at the courtesan and opted to let her continue enjoying it. "It's when it only works for you for whatever reason."

"Oh, how interesting…" she took another puff of her pipe. "What a strange phenomenon."

Sakura turned her gaze back to Misa. "So are you still mad about me shooting out the tires?"

She waved her hand. "That's work business. I'm not thinking about work for right now. I've been thinking about it for fifteen days without end." She brought a hand to her chin. "But, to answer your question, I'm really not. It was reasonable for you to defend yourself from me when I was acting so irrational."

"So you're not mad at me for anything at all?"

She paused for a long moment, thinking. "I suppose not. I have nothing against you as an individual."

"'As an individual'?"

She gave her a smug look. "I still have problems with Dorami. But outside of work, you're alright."

"Then maybe outside of work we could be friends?" she shrugged.

She threw her head back with laughter. "That's a ridiculous idea!" She glanced back down at her for a second before letting out a smirk. "Why not? I don't see the harm in it. I just hope this doesn't make you less inclined to fight back when I inevitably crush Dorami. I don't want you going down without a fight."

She was delighted to see Misa so accepting of her, but still frowned. "I thought you weren't thinking about work."

She shook her head. "You're absolutely right. I shouldn't be worrying about that." She noticed something shiny in her hand and naturally shot a glance down at it. She squinted in confusion. "Why do you have forks?"

"Huh?" She looked down at her hand and remembered the two forks she had gathered in the kitchen. "Oh! I brought some cake home!" She hastily took her backpack off her back.

"Cake? Why do you have cake?"

"Today's my birthday!"

"Well, happy birthday. How old are you?"

"Twenty-seven!" she answered as she pulled out a large piece of tupperware. She handed it to Yuugiri. "Here, Yuugiri-san, I got you an extra big piece because you haven't eaten anything since you woke up."

She set down her pipe and took the container in her hands. "Thank you, Sakura-han. That's very thoughtful of you." She peeled off the lid and used the fork to cut off a piece. Even after starving for nearly three weeks, she ate with utmost class, taking small bites and making sure to keep her face clean.

She took out another piece and handed it to Misa with a smile. "Here you go."

"Thank you," she said as she took the container in her hand. She peeled off the lid and took the fork from her. "So… that makes me the second-youngest zombie ever as far as we know."

"How old are you?" she asked as she produced yet another container and peeled off the lid. She handed it to Tae, who had already dropped Misa's hair and started drooling.

Tae took the container with two hands and immediately started eating the whole thing up. She dug into it by simply lifting the container to her face and using her mouth to eat, not unlike a dog.

"Twenty-two," Misa answered as she lifted a piece to her mouth. Her eyebrows shot up at the taste. "Oh, this is quite good. Who made this?"

"I did!" Sakura exclaimed proudly.

"It's absolutely delectable," Yuugiri commented. "Thank you for sharing this with me."

"Graauhmmfhagh!" Tae agreed as she tossed down her now clean tupperware.

"She's already done," Misa laughed. "How charming." She turned to Sakura. "So, I see you're quite devoted to Dorami now. How is that working out for you?"

"Oh, it's great," she smiled. "I get to hang out with everyone all the time."

"Sounds nice." She plunged her fork into her cake and lifted another piece to her mouth. "How is Saki doing?"

"Saki-chan? Well…" She paused for a long moment, thinking of what to say. She didn't want to just go around revealing that her friend had trauma to random people, especially someone who might use that against her in the heat of battle. After a second, she knew what to say. "She's just as fierce as always."

She smiled softly and looked up to the ceiling. "That's what I like about her…"

 _Is she thinking about fighting her again?_ She frowned. "I thought you weren't thinking about work."

She looked back at her. "I'm not."

"Isn't fighting her work?"

"I wasn't thinking about fighting her."

"Oh, okay. What were you thinking about, then?"

She paused for a long moment and looked back down at her cake. "Personal things."

Yuugiri slowly gave Misa a knowing look.

"Well… okay." Sakura rose to her feet. "I'm gonna get ready for bed. Are you gonna stay the night, Misa-san?"

She poked her cake with her fork gently. "I'm not sure. Perhaps."

"Well, I'll put out an extra mat just in case." She turned and started toward the wardrobe where she kept her pajamas. _Seems like everyone's doing better now… Well, everyone except Saki-chan…_ She paused as she reached the wardrobe door. _I wonder if Okoba-san will be able to help us help her._

* * *

"You know, I'd really rather not press charges," Shinta moaned. "Last time I messed with them, they did this to me."

The officer at the side of the bed shrugged. "Listen, man, you don't have to. But as long as the hospital is, you gotta answer my questions."

"I don't want to be a witness," he scowled. "I know my rights. I don't have to."

He sighed. "Buddy, it's been a long night. Just tell me who I'm looking for so I can go home."

"No."

He stared at him for a long moment before standing back up at his full height. "Well, it's no use. Might as well get go-" He stopped as he noticed something was crumpled up in the journalist's hand. "What's that?"

"What's what?"

He leaned over and slowly forced his hand open. "This."

"H-hey! That's mine!" he yelled, hurting his ribs in the process. He was powerless to stop him with his limited range of motion.

The officer slowly uncrumpled the ball and looked at it. "Dorami?"

"That has nothing to do with this. Just because one of them gave it to me doesn't mean it's fine for you to take."

He gave him a smug look. "Sorry, pal, but if one of them gave this to you, that makes this evidence!" He stuck it into his pocket and strut out of the room. "Looks like we got a clue after all."

"Shit…" he whispered under his breath. With his one movable arm, he quickly reached over and made himself a copy while the email address was still fresh in his mind. While he didn't care about whether or not the police knew, he didn't want to let down that Amabuki girl. He just hoped they wouldn't hold it against him if they found out.


	119. The Promotional Video

For once, Saki was the first of the four to wake up. She opened her eyes to the light of her room slowly and sat up, making her usual noises of undoing rigor mortis. She set her hands in her lap and looked over at the child sleeping peacefully in the bed next to her. She smiled. _Cute kid._ She caught a glimpse of the digital alarm clock on the nightstand next to the bed and her eyebrows shot up. _10:03? We really slept in that late?_ Slowly, she rose to her feet, creating even more popping and snapping noises, and stretched out. _Damn, we better get going soon. But I should use the bathroom before I wake her up._ She stepped off her air mattress and opened the door, taking care to not wake up her sister. Once outside the room, she glanced at Ai and Junko's room and paused. _Oh, right. Wonder if she's doing okay._ She quietly made her way over and gently inched the door open to get a peek inside.

In the bed were Ai and Junko, side-by-side, facing each other, fast asleep. Each was neatly tucked under the covers, but Ai had a bandaged foot sticking out. Junko's head rested on one of Ai's arms and each slept without a sound. Their chests rose up and down with their breathing and almost seemed to be in sync.

She squatted down and slowly made her way to Junko's side of the bed. Once there, she gently shook her awake.

She rolled over in bed and looked down at her. "Oh, Saki," she smiled. "Good morning."

"Morning. You doing okay?"

"Hm? Oh, yes. I'm feeling much better now."

"You gonna be alright?"

"It'll be a process, but I think I'll be fine. Thank you." She propped herself up on one arm and sighed. "It's just the initial shock that had me… like that." She took a deep breath. "I'm going to miss them, but I can't think about them forever. Life goes on. Or, rather, death goes on, since we're zombies."

She nodded. "Yeah. I getcha." She placed a hand on her arm and smiled. "Good to hear you're doing okay. Lemme know if you need anything from me."

She gently moved her hand up to hold Saki's hand in place and smiled sweetly. "You're too kind."

She waved her other hand nonchalantly. "Eh, I'm just doing what I oughta do. Big sis and all."

"I'm older than you."

"Oh, right. Little sis, then."

She laughed. "It doesn't really matter."

There was a quiet moment of tranquility between the two before Saki stood up and put her hands in her pockets. "Alright, well, we all kinda slept a bit late, so we don't really have time for breakfast. Let's just wake up the others and get moving."

"Ai's already awake."

She raised an eyebrow and glanced at the girl behind her. "She is?"

"She's not breathing. She only stops breathing when she's consciously thinking about it."

A bright blush spread across Ai's face and she struggled to contain her embarrassment.

Saki snickered. "You're not fooling anyone, Bandages."

She slowly lifted the covers over her head. "Just pretend like I'm not here…"

She smirked, put her arms behind her head, and walked back toward the door. "Whatever. We're gonna get moving soon. Get over yourself and get up." She made her way back to her and the child's room where Lily was sleeping peacefully. Completely forgetting about her plan to be the first to the bathroom, she quietly made her way over to the child and started patting her on the cheek; like little slaps, but much more gentle.

Her eyes fluttered open and she looked up at her. "Good morning, Saki-chan."

"Morning, kid. Time to get up. We overslept."

She rubbed her eyes as she sat up and glanced at the clock. "Oh." She hopped out of bed and bounced over to the closet where her Dorami uniform was hanging. Suddenly, she stopped and she slowly turned to Saki with a wide grin on her face. "Today is video day!" she beamed.

"Uh, yeah! Video day!" she replied with confused enthusiasm.

"I have to go get something!" She rushed out the room and hopped over the railing. She dropped to the bottom floor with a _thump_ and disappeared from sight.

 _Huh?_ She rushed out to the hall and looked down. She was already gone. _Jeez, someone's excited…_

* * *

The four bikes pulled into the mount Kagamiyama parking lot and skidded to a stop. The place was mostly empty aside from two girls standing side-by-side looking out at Karatsu and their bikes behind them. It was a clear, sunny day without a cloud in the sky and not much wind; an ideal setting for filming a video.

Maria turned around and glared at the girls stepping off their bikes. "The hell took you guys so long? You're like, five minutes late."

Saki tossed the girl the tripod she had carried all the way there. "You try riding here from Saga with one of these."

She took it in her hands and gave her a confused look. "Thought you were good at riding with one hand."

"I am. Just not as good as I am with two."

"I told you we had a duffle bag if you wanted one," Lily sighed.

"Can it, Shrimpy!"

Maria rolled her eyes and turned to the child. "Alright, whatever. What's the plan?"

Lily scanned the area. She marched around the lot with one hand on her hip and the other on her chin for a few moments before she stopped and her face lit up. "Here's good! Bring the tripod over!"

She walked over to her and started helping her set up the tripod.

"Kind of makes you wonder what her plan was for shooting on Sunday," Ai said as she watched the two. She turned to Sakura. "You got everything?"

Sakura slipped her backpack off her back and handed it over. "Here you go. Thanks for letting me borrow it. Your contacts are all inside."

Junko gasped excitedly and took the backpack from her. "Thank you!"

She smiled generously. "It's no problem! I hope you like them."

Saki put her arms behind her head. "Anyways, what's been up with you?"

"Oh, not a whole lot." She paused for a second then realized. "Wait! No! That's wrong! A lot!" She threw her hands up in excitement. "Guess who was at my house last night!"

"Who?" inquired Ai.

"Misa!"

The three girls before her blinked. "For real?" Saki asked.

"Yeah! But she wasn't there to kidnap Koutarou-san or Tae-chan or anything, apparently she just came over to hang out with Yuugiri-san! I guess they're friends now or something. She spent the night and in the morning she and Yuugiri-san just kinda sat on the back porch together smoking. They were still there when I left."

"Did she say anything to you?" Ai questioned.

"Uh, not a whole lot. She said sorry for taking advantage of me and antagonizing me, which I said was okay. She also said we could be friends outside of work!"

Saki squinted. "She what?"

"She said we could be friends outside of work!"

The corner of her mouth curled up in confusion. "Seriously? Since when is that a thing?"

"Huh? Were you not allowed to be friends with people in other gangs when you were alive, Saki-chan?"

"Hell no. Especially not the bosses."

"Well, a lot can change in twenty years," Ai pointed out. "Maybe that's not a thing anymore."

She let out a sigh. "Man, the future is so confusing…"

"At this point, it's starting to feel more and more like the present," Junko interpolated. "I'm getting a much better grasp on how things are now."

"Isn't the future great?" Sakura smiled. "Everything's so amazing!"

"Well… not everything…" she said somberly. She looked to the side.

She cocked her head. "Is something wrong, Junko-chan?"

Ai quickly stepped forward and whispered something in her ear.

Her eyes widened. "Oh…"

Saki leaned over and put her hand on her shoulder. "You sure you're okay? You can take another day off if you need it."

She shook her head. "I'll be fine. Don't you worry too much about me." She took a deep breath and glanced toward where Lily and Maria were then looked back toward the rest of the group with a smile. "Let's put on a good performance."

* * *

"And… okay! We're recording!" Sakura jogged over to the edge of the parking lot and hopped over the railing. She gently lowered herself over the edge where the other four zombies were hanging and placed her boots down on the stone panels lining the cliff. They had enough friction to keep them from falling and the railing was spaced out well enough that each girl could grab the bottom of her own post to stabilize herself. While she and Junko had had some qualms with hanging off the edge of the cliff, they had been assured by Saki that 'zombies are invincible' and told to just not lose their grip; they reluctantly agreed, but soon got used to the feeling of hanging from four stories above the ground.

"Alright, whenever you're ready!" Lily barked. "Action!"

Maria took a deep breath and put her hands on her hips. After a second, she opened her eyes and gave the camera a menacing glare. "Hey, listen up! I'm Maria Amabuki, the eighth boss of Dorami, a ladies' biker gang from Saga! And I'm here to say a few things!" She held up a finger. "Number one! We're lookin' for new members! If you think you got the guts to ride with us, then let us know! We'd be glad to have ya! And that goes out to all of Saga!" She flipped out a second finger. "Number two! If you got a job you want us to do, we'll handle it! Just make sure you can pay for what you ask for!"

"Good so far…" Ai whispered.

She flipped out a third finger. "Number three!" She paused for a long moment then let her arm drop back down to her side. "Crap."

The zombies hanging over the edge groaned in unison. "Come on!" Saki complained. "How many times are you gonna forget the third thing?!"

She stormed over to the railing and glared down at her. "Like you could do a better job! What the hell was it, anyways?!"

"Tribute," Ai reminded her.

She smacked herself on the forehead. "Ah, damn it! Of course!"

"Ai-chan jinxed it!" Lily yelled.

"What?! No I didn't!"

"Ai-chan! Lily-chan!" Sakura pleaded. "It's okay! We'll just do it again!"

Lily sighed. "Well, just restart the recording."

"What take was that?" Junko asked.

"I lost count after twenty-six."

"I'm pretty sure we're on thirty-three," Sakura interjected.

"This one or the next one?"

"The next one."

"Whatever!" Maria yelled. "Who cares what take it is?!" She turned back around and walked over to the tripod. "I sure as hell don't!"

"Someone's grumpy," Lily remarked quietly.

"I would be, too, if I kept on forgetting my lines…" Junko replied.

"Maybe one of us could whisper them to her," Sakura suggested. "That way we'd make it to the end again like we did on take nineteen."

"I'm just about ready to just upload that one," Saki grumbled. "That one was fine."

"It wasn't good enough," Junko retorted. "Lily almost fell off and Sakura tripped over the railing. That's not the kind of image we-"

"Hey! Shut up down there!" Maria ordered. "I'm about to go again!"

The five zombies zipped their mouths shut and lowered themselves out of view of the camera once more. Junko adjusted her glasses.

Maria took another deep breath and put her hands on her hips once again. "Hey, listen up! I'm Maria Amabuki, the eighth boss of Dorami, a ladies' biker gang from Saga! And I'm here to say a few things!" She held up a finger. "Number one! We're lookin' for new members! If you think you got the guts to ride with us, then let us know! We'd be glad to have ya! And that goes out to all of Saga!" She flipped out a second finger. "Number two! If you got a job you want us to do, we'll handle it! Just make sure you can pay for what you ask for!"

"Tribute, tribute, tribute," Sakura chanted quietly.

She flipped out a third finger. "Number three! Tribute!"

The five zombies celebrated silently among themselves. There was fist-pumping, gentle high-fives, and some one-armed hugs.

"Some of you don't seem to get how tribute works! So lemme spell it out for ya!" She gestured with her hand to help demonstrate her point. "You wanna use our turf, you gotta pay up! And if you don't wanna pay, we'll beat the cash outta you! Nice and simple, right? So play along!" She held up a fourth finger. "Number four!" She paused for a long moment then gave the camera a devious smirk. "Zombies."

On her cue, the five zombies slowly reached up toward the railing and pulled themselves over the edge. They tried to look as creepy as possible, making sure to shamble along and moan quietly.

"Yup. They're real. All of 'em have died. All of 'em have come back. And you better believe we know how to use 'em." She pointed at the camera and stepped backwards into the crowd, which had since climbed over the railing and converged around her. "So watch your back. You don't wanna mess with the walking dead." She disappeared behind the zombies and squatted down behind Saki, Sakura, and Lily. She grabbed the bottom of her jacket to keep it from trailing behind her and tapped on the back of Sakura's leg.

"Grauughhh…" she groaned. With her signal, the group soon split apart, heading in two different directions. They made sure to shuffle along, creating as few openings between the legs as possible to make it harder to tell where Maria went. Once everyone was out of frame, she turned toward the girl on the ground with a wide smile. "I think that was it!"

"I think so, too!" Lily added. She ran over to the phone and put her hand above her eyes so that she could see the screen. Her smile soon fell.

"What?" Maria asked as she stood up.

She glared at her. "It wasn't even recording."

There was yet another collective groan. "But that one was perfect…" Sakura whined.

"How demoralizing," Junko sighed.

"Damn it! What a drag!" Saki moaned.

"Well, I'm sure we can do it again," Ai said optimistically.

Sakura looked at her and her attitude melted away. Her frown turned into a bubbly smile. "Yeah! We can do it again!"

"Eventually…" Lily grumbled.

She clapped her hands together. "Alright, everyone! Back over the edge! We're gonna get this thing done one way or another!"

* * *

"So watch your back. You don't wanna mess with the walking dead." Maria squatted down behind Saki, Sakura, and Lily, picked up the back of her jacket, and poked Lily in the back of the leg.

"Hraagh…" she moaned. With her signal, the girls all shambled away from each other just as they had before. Once again, after a few seconds the group had disappeared from sight and the child sprinted toward the phone at full speed. Once she got there, she stopped, put her hands above her eyes, peered at the screen, and grinned from ear to ear. "Yay!"

"What?! Was that it?!" Saki asked excitedly.

She took the phone off the tripod and held it in her hands. She lowered it so her shadow covered the screen and she could see. "I dunno! Let's find out!" She hit the play button and watched the video playback.

Maria sighed. "God, I hope that was it. I'm so sick of yelling."

"And I'm sick of hanging off a cliff," Ai replied.

She turned to Saki. "What do you think? Was that good?"

She grinned and wrapped an arm around her shoulders. "That was great! Exactly how a boss should address people. This should solve all our problems."

She let out a slight smile and put her own arm around Saki's shoulders. "Good."

"It was very well-done," Junko assured her. "You were fantastic."

"Thanks. I just hope that take was the last one."

"I have a good feeling about it," Sakura assured her. "I think this is the one."

Saki glanced over at the child. "Yo, Shrimpy, how is it?"

"It's perfect!" She bounced up and down excitedly. "Now we just have to edit it!" She skipped over to her bike, took a seat, and started tapping on the screen in certain places. "This shouldn't take long, I don't think!"

Maria let out a sigh of relief. "Finally." She stepped out from under Saki's arm and put her arms behind her head. "Once Shrimpy's done with that, let's go out on patrol."

"What are we gonna do with this thing?" asked Ai. She gestured to the tripod.

"Uh… I dunno."

"We can't just carry it around," Junko pointed out. "It's far too bulky."

"Then let's just go put it down somewhere." Ai turned to Sakura. "Do you think we could keep this at your house until the end of the day?"

"Oh, sure!" She picked up the tripod and awkwardly rotated it, looking for a way to collapse it. "Wait, how do I…?"

"I got it," Saki said. She took it from her hands and compressed it back into its smaller shape. "Alright, who's coming with?"

"I'll come," Maria offered.

"Me, too," Junko added. "What about you, Sakura?"

"Oh, right! I guess, since it is my house after all…" she chuckled.

"I'll stay behind with Lily, then," Ai stated.

Lily glanced over at her and smiled. "Yay! We never get to hang out, Ai-chan!"

She sat down on her bike and gave her a confused look. "What're you talking about? Yes we do. We hang out all the time."

"Yeah, but not just the two of us! I don't think it's ever been just you and me!"

"It hasn't?" She brought her hand to her chin and thought for a second. "Oh, I guess not." She sat back in her seat and pulled her legs up onto the bike. She looked over at the four others. "I'll just call you once we're done and we'll meet back up somewhere."

"Sounds good to me," Saki replied. She sat down on her bike and placed the tripod on her lap to turn her bike on. Once she had it on, she set up the kickstand and held the tripod with her right hand. She glanced over her shoulder to see the others behind her, signaled for them to follow her, switched hands, and sped out of the lot with three bikes on her tail.


	120. The Drop-off

Saki's trip to the mansion was at a slower pace than she usually liked. It was one thing to be missing a hand and have to drive using your sleeve and your other hand, but it was another thing entirely to only be able to drive with one hand. She couldn't go too fast around turns, especially left ones, of which there were many on her route, because if she did she had the chance of accidentally overturning the handlebars and falling over. This put a speed limit on her, which she greatly disliked. Once she finally did reach the mansion, she pulled her bike through the gates, stopped on the front walkway, and dropped the tripod on the ground. _I hate this stupid thing. Making me slow down and crap._

The three other girls soon pulled up behind her and parked their bikes on the brick pathway leading up to the house. Sakura picked the tripod up off the ground, bounced up the stairs, and knocked on the front door. "I wonder if Misa-san is still here…"

"I'd say it's safe to assume she is," Junko replied, staring across the street at the black Korosuke bike parked in the park.

"Don't think Shades is, though," Maria stated, noting the absence of the black van he was known to drive.

"Well, he did say that he had job interviews today," Sakura explained.

"Oh, yeah. What for?"

"Um, he didn't say…"

"I think he'd make a good car salesman," Junko said. "He seems very enthusiastic and he dresses well."

"Or maybe he's just flipping burgers," Saki shrugged.

"Maybe he went out to get drunk," Maria suggested.

Sakura gasped. "Maria-chan! I'm sure that's not true!"

"Hey, I'm just saying. Dude's an alcoholic."

Saki, suddenly alarmed, glanced at her for a second then turned to Sakura. "He is?!" she asked urgently.

"No, he's not! He's just been super stressed out recently!"

She was immediately relieved. "Oh, okay." _Thank god…_

She rolled her eyes and turned back to the door. "What's taking them so long?" She knocked again, louder this time. She peered through the glass. "Are they not here right now?"

"They might still be on the back porch," Junko pointed out.

"Oh, right!" She hopped back down to the ground and started walking around the side of the mansion. "This way, everyone!"

Saki and Maria each put their arms behind their head at the same time and walked after her. Junko was quick to follow. Maria's eyebrows raised at the sight of the idol studio to the side of the house. "What's that?"

"That's the idol studio," Sakura clarified. "It's probably gathering cobwebs now."

"Oh, yeah. I always forget you guys were revived to be idols."

Saki elbowed her in the side. "That's where you should record your CD," she snickered.

She smirked. "Bandages would HATE that."

"How is your singing voice, Maria-san?" questioned Junko.

"Uh… I dunno, I never really sing."

"Maybe you should sometime. I'd love to hear it."

A light blush spread across her face and she slumped down into herself. "That'd be kinda embarrassing…" she said meekly.

The four reached the back porch and stepped up onto it. It was empty. "Huh," Saki observed. "Maybe they fell asleep or somethin'."

"Nope!" Sakura replied as she ran out into the backyard. "There they are!" She pointed up to the balcony. "Hi, Yuugiri-san! Hi, Misa-san! Hi, Tae-chan!" she waved.

"Good afternoon, Sakura," Yuugiri replied from above. "You're home early."

She took a few steps back then took a running leap up onto the balcony. She landed with a grunt. "Well, not really. We're just making a quick stop to drop this off."

"We?"

The rest of the group stepped out into the backyard and looked up at the balcony. "Huh," Maria said. "I didn't know Misa smoked."

Misa and Yuugiri looked down at them from one of the benches on the balcony, each with a pipe in hand. Misa also held her phone in the other hand and Yuugiri had a sleeping Romero in her lap. Tae was seated on the ground in front of them rubbing her eyes. She seemed to have just woken up. "Saki! Maria!" Misa exclaimed. "So good to see you!"

"Okay, this is weird," Saki muttered under her breath.

"Come on, guys!" Sakura coaxed. "Come on up!"

The three of them all shot each other a quick glance. "Uh, you know what? We're fine down here!" Saki yelled back.

Tae perked up and looked down at the girls on the ground. Her face lit up as a certain one caught her eye and she scrambled over the railing. "GRAUUAGH!"

Junko screamed at the top of her lungs and sprinted in the opposite direction, trailed by the feral zombie. "Not again!"

Saki ran after her. "Hey, Braindead, cut that out!" She gritted her teeth and pushed herself to keep up with her. _Damn it! Get away from her!_

Sakura gasped and stepped to the railing. "Tae-chan! No! Stop that!" She was distraught to see the zombie completely ignore her as she was too engrossed with the thought of clamping her teeth down on some airline food to care what she was saying.

Junko turned toward the house and quickly leaped up onto the balcony. She grabbed Sakura and hid behind her. "Please make her stop!"

Tae flew up after her. "HRAAAGH!"

Misa slipped her phone into her pocket, stood up, and jumped over to the balcony where Sakura and Junko were. She caught Tae by the throat with one hand and gave her a pitiful glare. "Now, Tae. What did we say about biting people?"

"Grahugh…" She almost seemed to sulk.

She lifted her over the balcony and set her down next to her. She offered her a piece of her hair to chew on which was gladly accepted and returned to her seat. She held her pipe above the opium lamp.

"Um, thank you…" Junko peeped.

"Think nothing of it." She paused and glanced toward her. "Actually, I don't believe we've ever formally met." She extended a hand. "I'm Misa."

She stared at her hand for a second then looked back up at her, uncertain.

"Don't be afraid. I mean no harm."

She hesitantly shook her hand. "Junko Konno." She pulled her hand back to her side. "Please excuse me if I'm cold, but you've attacked my family multiple times."

"Well, that's work. Right now, I'm off work." She looked back up toward the sky, lifted her pipe to her mouth, and blew a stream of smoke. "So why don't we be civil?"

Saki stared up at her in disbelief. _What the hell? I don't get it…_ She glanced over her shoulder at Maria. "You getting this?"

She shrugged. "What's not to get? She's not working, so she's not gonna attack us, obviously." She walked over to the mansion and climbed up onto the railing of the porch. She grunted as she struggled to pull herself up to the balcony.

"Oh, here, Maria-chan…" Sakura reached over the edge and offered to help her up.

She flicked her head around to swat her hand away. "I'm fine! I can do it myself!" She kicked off one of the support posts and used her rotational momentum to hook herself on the upper railing. Then she pulled herself up the rest of the way and hopped over to the other side.

Saki sighed. _Well, whatever, I guess… If everyone else is going up there…_ She took a step back then ran forward and jumped up onto the balcony. She landed on the railing and dropped down to the floor below. She looked over at Misa. "Looks like you and Tae get along now."

"Yes, we do." She leaned over and patted the girl on the head. "The two of us seem to have a special connection."

"Hruummg…" she purred.

"Well, she's the one who bit you," Maria pointed out. "Maybe you've got, like, some zombie psychic link or something."

Saki gave her a blank stare. "That's gotta be the dumbest thing you've ever said."

"Shut up."

Misa smirked and looked over at her. "That's far from the dumbest thing she's ever said. Say, Maria, do you remember the time when-"

She stepped forward and pointed at her angrily. "If you bring up the fence thing, I'll kick your ass!"

She paused for a moment. "I wasn't going to, but now that you mention it…"

She gritted her teeth. "Don't!"

Saki put a hand on her shoulder. "No, no, Maria, I wanna hear this. What's the fence thing?"

Misa chuckled. "It was a while ago… I believe November of last year. I was riding around Karatsu and I came across Maria and her two friends struggling to pull a scooter out of a wooden fence."

"We weren't 'struggling', damn it! We were doing fine!"

She waved her hand at her condescendingly. "You were struggling. Anyways, I naturally asked how she managed to get the scooter wedged halfway into the fence. And do you know what she said to me?"

Saki, now incredibly curious, leaned forward to hear the answer. "What?"

"Well, first she said it was none of my business, which, granted, was true. But once I prodded further, she explained that since it was the same color as the sky, she was confused. So she rode into it. It was a blue fence."

Immediately, the group around her broke out into laughter. The only person not laughing was Maria, as she was too busy staring daggers at Misa. "Tsk!"

She smiled back at her smugly. "Sorry, Maria, but she asked."

"Doesn't mean you gotta tell her!"

"How could I say no to a face like that, though?" She gestured to Saki, who was still cracking up at her expense.

Yuugiri took a puff of her pipe and blew a line of smoke smoke off to the side. "Do not fret, Maria-han. Though I laugh, I likely would have done the same."

Misa gave her a smug look. "You've never even ridden a bicycle. You wouldn't even make it to the street."

"You're probably right."

Once Sakura finished laughing, she looked down at the tripod still in her hand. "Oh, I should go put this down…" She marched inside, once again forgetting to remove her boots.

Saki stood back up at her full height as her laughing died down. "Oh, man, Maria, you really said that?"

She put on a defensive smile. "Don't get too cocky. I'm sure you said crap like that when you were younger, too."

"Keep telling yourself that."

"You've said plenty of stupid things in the time I've known you," Junko pointed out.

"Oh yeah? Like what?"

"You thought a pawn shop and a thrift shop were the same thing."

 _Oh, crap. She's right. Gotta save face_ _…_ "I didn't actually think they were the same thing, I just said the wrong word."

"That's not true. You said that after seeing a pawn shop."

 _Damn it._ "You wanna die?"

Misa chuckled. "Interesting how you of all people are so quick to throw out death threats."

She gave her a smug look. "Look who's talking."

She took a puff of her pipe and blew a stream of smoke. "Your wit certainly is admirable," she smiled.

"You better believe it is." She crossed her arms and inspected the woman. She certainly didn't seem hostile, but it was still strange to be having such a civil conversation with the boss of another gang without expecting it to transition into a fight at the end.

She noticed her staring and glanced in her direction. "See something you like?"

"S'just weird."

"What is?"

"You being here, not attacking us and whatever. Back when I was alive, if you were in a gang and you saw members of an enemy gang, you attacked on sight. Didn't matter if you were in uniform or not."

"Interesting. These days, that kind of thing would be very uncalled for."

"So, wait," Maria questioned, "when we found those six Korosuke girls in the park, were you gonna beat them up?"

"I was gonna once we were done making fun of them," Saki clarified, "but then she showed up outta nowhere."

"Well, then, it's good that we didn't get the chance to," Junko commented. "That likely would have ended poorly." She turned back to Misa and crossed her arms. "But I agree with Saki somewhat. I can't separate you from the person who whipped Ai across the face."

"Oh, please, Junko, that's work. Do you mean to tell me that you're always trying to scare people into giving up their money, even on your days off? Whipping members of enemy gangs is merely part of the job. As long as at least one of us isn't working, we aren't enemies."

"That's…" She turned to Maria. "Is that really true?"

"Yeah, pretty much. We have standards, you know. Gang business only happens when everyone's working."

Saki brought a hand to her chin. _Huh… that's weird, but I guess I could give it a shot._ She turned back to Misa. "So you're friends with Blackout now, huh?"

She raised an eyebrow. "Blackout?"

"Sakura."

"Oh, yes. She's very kind and I enjoy her company. Just as I do yours."

She squinted. "You enjoy our company?"

"Well, of course I do." She gave her a sultry smile. "There's more than one reason I invited you to join Korosuke, you know."

"Yeah, I told you, I'm not doing that."

"I know. But I still admire you. If you'd like, I think it could be good for us to spend some time together outside of work. Just the two of us. Dinner, perhaps?"

Her eyebrows slowly raised themselves up onto her forehead. _Wait, is she-_

Suddenly, Maria's phone rang. She pulled it out of her pocket, looked down at it for a second, and held it up to her ear. "Hey. Is it done?"

She turned around and her thought flew straight out her head. "Is that Bandages?"

She nodded and paused for a second. "Alright. I guess now we gotta put it on the website." She brought a hand to her chin. "Uh, you remember where the library is?"

Sakura walked out of the house, now empty-handed. "Okay! We'll just pick that back up at the end of the day." She looked between the two groups. "What're you guys talking about?"

Maria held up a finger. "Yeah. See you there." She hung up and slipped the phone back into her pocket. "We gotta get going."

"Already? But we just got here!"

"And getting here took twenty damn minutes because Saki can't drive for shit if she can't use two hands." She hopped up onto the railing and quickly gauged the distance to the ground. Then she pushed herself off and landed with a grunt. She was soon followed by Junko.

Sakura sighed. "Okay…" She climbed up onto the railing. "Bye, you guys!"

"Take care," Yuugiri smiled.

Saki watched Sakura step off the railing to the yard below and climbed up herself.

"Saki."

She turned to see Misa still staring at her. "Uh, yeah?"

"It really was nice to see you again. My offer still stands."

She hesitated for a moment, unsure of what to think. _What the hell?_

"Hey, Saki! We got places to be!" yelled Maria.

The girl's voice snapped her back to reality. "R-right!" She gave Misa on final look before dropping to the ground. "Uh, yeah. Okay. See you around, I guess." She fell from the balcony and landed next to Sakura. She slipped her hands into her pockets. "Let's go."

"The hell was that about?" Maria asked as the group made their way back around the house.

"Hell if I know. That whole thing was just weird."

"I'm pretty sure she was just hitting on you back there."

"Huh?! She was?!" Sakura exclaimed.

"That's how it sounded to me," Junko commented. "She's so unexpected…"

"I don't get any of this…" Saki moaned. "What the hell is with her?"

"Well, you are both zombies," Maria pointed out. "You might be a good match."

"Don't even joke like that, man…" She brought a hand up to her forehead and groaned. "The hell's up with all you future people? Back in my day, no one caught feelings for people on the other team."

"'Back in my day'?" she laughed. "You really are an old-timer."

"There's nothing wrong with being an old-timer," Junko protested.

She smirked as the group reached the front of the house. "Whatever. Let's just forget about it for now. We got work to do." She sat back down on her bike and took her key out of her pocket. "Hope the video's good." She started her bike and backed it through the gates into the street. She glanced over her shoulder to see the three zombies do the same, held up her left hand, and took off.


	121. The Twins

In a park on the west side of Karatsu, a group of four teenage boys was surrounded by undead girls in black and red. They were pressed back-to-back, immobilized by the threat of actual zombies. Three of them had already given up and the fourth was trembling before an undead, shambling corpse which inched closer by the second. Sweat dripped down his chin and he pushed harder and harder against the backs of his friends to avoid the zombie, but it was no use. He had nowhere else to go.

Lily walked up to the boy and held out her hand. "5,000 yen, please!"

With a shaky hand, he reached into his wallet and produced three 2,000 yen notes. "H-here!"

She took the money and gave a cute smile. "Thank you!" She turned to Maria. "Boss, we're done!"

"Alright!" She reached into her pocket and pulled out a business card. "Remember the name!" She flicked it toward the boys, put her hands into her pockets, and turned back toward the bikes. "Let's get outta here." She was followed by the five zombies.

It had been about an hour since Maria had embedded the YouTube video into the Dorami website and they had seen some limited results. One group had recognized them and attempted to escape unsuccessfully, but most were unaware of who they were just as before. As far as they were aware, their video hadn't made that much of an impact yet. This was about to change.

Junko looked down at the money in Lily's hands. "It looks like you got 1,000 extra."

Lily giggled as she handed the money to Maria. "Maybe it's a tip because of how cute I am!"

Maria took the money and reached into her pocket for her money clip. She slipped the cash in and put it back. "Alright, you guys wanna break for lunch?"

"We should get some Mexican food," Saki grinned. "Haven't had Mexican in forever."

"As long as it's not too spicy…" said Sakura.

"Is there a takeout place around here somewhere?" Ai wondered aloud.

"Lemme check," Maria shrugged. She reached into her pocket for her phone and pulled it out. She hit the power button and was shocked to see the sheer amount of notifications on her screen. "What the hell?!"

She glanced down at the phone over her shoulder. "Hm. Looks like you're popular."

"No one ever texts me THIS much, though!" She unlocked her phone and navigated to the messaging app, where she had received 113 texts and counting. "You think it has anything to do with the video?"

"Probably. You did say your name at the beginning. What're they saying?"

She tapped on the first chat, which just so happened to be a group chat with Migikawa and Sayama. She read what they were saying and her eyebrows shot up. "Huh."

"What?"

"Apparently, everyone's talking about me and they're trying to contact me any way they can, including through Migikawa and Sayama."

Saki looked over her shoulder. "For real?"

"Yeah." She navigated to another conversation and found what they had to say very interesting. "Apparently, there's a bunch of people in a park nearby trying to see if they can find us."

Lily gasped. "Really?!"

"Maybe some of them will want to join!" Sakura suggested excitedly.

"We should go right now!" Saki cheered.

"What about lunch?" Maria objected.

"Forget lunch," Ai replied, "if people want to see us so bad, we might as well go see what they have to say. We'll get lunch afterwards."

She shrugged and slipped her phone back into her pocket, replacing it in her hand with her key. "Okay, I guess. Let's just get this done quick. I'm starving."

Saki scrambled to her bike and sat down with a wicked grin. "Come on! Let's get moving!" She eagerly turned on her bike and revved its engine.

Lily and Sakura soon did the same and there was suddenly a chorus of engines revving in the street.

Though none of them could hear each other over the sound of the engines, the three remaining girls shared a 'these three are ridiculous' moment before climbing onto their own bikes and turning them on. Maria held up her left hand and took off.

* * *

Dorami rode through the streets of Karatsu toward the next park on their usual route. They had already passed three, but none of them had any huge groups of people. Now they were headed north toward Daimyokoji Jido Park. They rode underneath a train line and did a right turn, running a red light in the process.

Sakura looked to the right as they passed a certain familiar building. She smiled at the sight of Arpino and glanced at Ai happily. Then she turned her attention back to the road ahead as they turned left and headed onto a straight portion.

Maria reached into her pocket and pulled out her phone. She pressed the power button, read a few messages she had received since checking it last, then turned her attention back to the road as they blew through a green light.

The group formed a line to weave through traffic in the center and cut past several cars. The bikers' hair flowed in the wind as they hit high speeds and shot past stoplights and stunned those they passed. Saki closed her eyes and cheered. "WOOHOO!" _Now THIS is a joyride!_

As the six made their way through one last intersection, Maria held out her left hand to the side, signaling for the group to prepare to stop. At the same time, she squeezed her brake and turned sideways, skidding just far enough to stop at the entrance to the park. The five zombies behind her did the same and all six of them were shocked at what they saw.

Before them in the park was a massive crowd of teenagers all staring back at them, wide-eyed. There had to be thirty or forty just standing around, frozen in place by the sudden appearance of Dorami.

As the sound of the engines died down, there was a resounding silence in the park before them. Maria stepped off her bike, put her hands in her pockets, and looked around at the crowd before her. "What're you all starin' at?!"

A few people took a few steps back. The rest just kept staring in stunned silence.

Lily stepped off her bike and crossed her arms. "They aren't even saying anything."

"They can talk!" someone in the crowd whispered loudly.

"Do you recognize these people?" asked Ai.

Maria looked at her over her shoulder. "Yeah, I used to go to school with most of them." She turned back forward and crossed her arms. "Well don't just stand there! Say something!"

One boy looked around at the people next to him then stepped forward. "Uh… Maria…"

She glared at him. "What is it, Yamashita?!"

He pointed at the girls behind her. "They're… real?"

She squinted. "Didn't you see the damn video?! Of course they're real!"

"H-how?"

"That's none of your damn business! The hell's it to you, huh?!" She glared at the rest of the crowd. "If anyone else has any stupid questions about the damn zombies, I don't wanna hear 'em!

The awkward silence resumed. Many people were looking at one another to gauge the reactions of everyone else.

She frowned. "You wanted to see us, now we're here! Make it worth our while or ALL OF YOU will regret it!"

Saki nodded in approval. _Sounds like something a boss should say._

A low murmur escaped the crowd. Now that everyone had gotten a good look at her and realized she was for real, people were panicking. However, there were two girls who were not. They looked at each other, nodded, and stepped forward. Each had a determined face on. "Miss Amabuki!" one yelled.

She looked at them expectantly. "What?"

She clenched her fist. "We want to join Dorami!"

The crowd fell silent once more. Suddenly, all eyes were on the two girls.

A smile slowly crept its way onto Maria's face. Though she was absolutely elated, she managed to keep her cool. She raised an eyebrow. "You do?"

She nodded. "We do."

Sakura and Lily squealed in excitement. Ai glared at them. "Keep quiet!" she whispered through gritted teeth.

Saki looked at the girls behind her out the corner of her eye then turned her attention back to the two girls standing before them. _About damn time someone new showed up._

The two were clearly identical twins, differentiated only by the fact that the one on the right wore glasses. They seemed to be around fifteen or sixteen years of age and each had long brown hair tied into a ponytail and broad shoulders. They wore tank tops, jeans, and sneakers. Each was clearly determined to earn their place in Dorami, but only the one on the right was saying anything.

Maria slightly turned her head toward Saki. She seemed to be silently asking for instructions.

"Names, middle school, reason, skills, guts," she responded.

She nodded, looked back at the girls, and put her hands on her hips. "What're your names?"

"Emi and Hana Matsuoka," the same twin as before answered.

"Which one's which?"

"I'm Emi."

She pointed to the other one. "Doesn't she say anything?"

"I like to keep quiet," Hana replied.

She paused for a long moment then shrugged. "Weird, but okay. What middle school'd you go to?"

"Waseda," Emi answered.

"You mean that one over by the castle?"

"That's the one."

She gave them a questioning look. "Why do you wanna join Dorami?"

"We think it'd be fun. A lot of people are talking about you right now and we want in." She tilted her head toward her sister. "And she likes to be feared."

Saki snickered to herself. _This Hana chick sounds like a real fun time._

Maria nodded thoughtfully and brought a hand to her chin. "And what do you two bring to the table?"

"Hana used to kickbox and I know the ins and outs of electronics and could outfit you with new tech that could serve you better. Plus, we both have a thing for knives."

Her eyebrows shot up and she slightly turned her head toward Saki.

"Sounds good to me. Send me out for the guts test."

"The guts test…?" Sakura wondered aloud.

"Quiet!" Ai whispered. "You'll see in a minute!"

"S-sorry!"

Maria looked back at the two girls. "Alright. You sound like Dorami material. But there's still one more test you gotta go through." She pointed over her shoulder to Saki. "The guts test."

Hana raised an eyebrow.

"The guts test?" Emi asked.

Saki groaned as she stepped off her bike and cracked her knuckles. _Alright. Here we go._ She slowly made her way toward the two girls.

The crowd's low murmur returned once more as the zombie made her move. Everyone seemed to be on the edge of their seats.

She stopped in front of the two girls and stared down at each of them. "Emi and Hana, huh?"

"That's right," Emi replied shakily.

"Never had twins in Dorami when I was alive. Hope you two can impress me." She raised a hand up to her glasses and slowly took them off, revealing her sunken red eyes. _Gotta look as menacing as possible for this part…_

The two girls visibly flinched at the sight, but kept their composure.

The crowd had no such restraint. There was a loud chorus of gasps and plenty of whispering. Some people backed even further away.

She flipped her glasses shut and slipped them into her pocket. "You seem like you could be pretty damn good bikers. That is, if you've got the guts for it."

"The guts?"

"Yup." She crossed her arms. "Show me your guts."

"How?"

"You figure it out."

She turned to her sister for a long moment then looked back at her. "We didn't plan for this."

"You want me to pick something out for you?"

She shrugged. "Sure."

A wide grin spread across her face. _Awesome, another chance to let loose._ She raised a hand to her chin for a moment, thinking of a fitting challenge. "You said you two had a thing for knives, right?"

Each of them reached into their back pockets and produced identical steel pocket knives. They flipped them open.

"Alright. Here's your test." She held up her right hand and pulled off her black fingerless glove. She wiggled her fingers. "See these fingers?"

Both of them nodded skeptically.

"Your goal is to cut one of them off."

There was yet another collective gasp from the crowd around them. The whispers became even louder than they were before.

Emi stared at her in disbelief. "Are you serious?"

"I'm a zombie. I'll be fine." She stuffed her glove into her pocket and stepped back into a stance. "If you got the guts to do it, you're in. Otherwise, you're out. Got it?"

"You actually won't get hurt if we do that?"

"You wanna get into the damn gang or not?!"

They both gritted their teeth. Hana immediately stepped back into a stance and Emi soon copied her.

She pulled her right hand back near her head and curled it into a fist. "That's what I thought. Whenever you're ready."

The twins swallowed and gave each other a quick glance. There was a quick nod then Emi rushed forward and lunged her knife straight toward Saki's hand.

She swiftly stepped to the side and put her hand above her head. As the girl passed her, she swept her leg behind hers and pushed her to the ground by her neck. She didn't want to hurt her by any means, but she needed to have a good push so that she would change her approach. _Come on. You need to do better._ She looked up at the other twin just in time for a shoe to collide with the side of her head with the impact of a freight train. "Gueh!" As if by instinct, she brought a hand up to the side of her head to prevent it from flying off from the sheer force of the kick.

Emi rolled away from her and climbed to her feet. She noticed Saki's hand attached to the side of her head and paused. "Is it okay if I stab you in the head?"

"Try not to, 'cause that'd hurt like hell!" she replied as she blocked a barrage of powerful kicks from the other girl. _Damn, her kicks are strong!_

At this point, many people from the crowd were recording on their phones. After all, this was a knife fight in a public park with a real-life zombie. This was the most eventful thing happening in their lives at the moment and they were eating it up. Some people even started cheering.

Saki lowered her right hand for a moment as she saw an opening in the girl's movements. She quickly rushed forward to deliver a kick but noticed the girl to her right rushing toward her. _Crap! Okay, so…_ She continued her kick and, as expected, the girl was prepared to take such a hit so she didn't topple over. Using this to her advantage, she pushed off of her with one leg but also pushed off the ground as well, garnering herself a fair amount of height and backwards momentum which she used to backflip over the girl charging toward her. _Two birds with one stone._

No one wasn't excited now. The thunderous applause and cheers of the audience was thrilling to everyone involved. "Way to go, Saki-chan!" Sakura cheered.

Saki landed on her feet and felt her jacket gently flap against the back of her legs behind her. She gave the two girls before her a smirk and wiped her nose with her right thumb. "Hey, look, I still got all my fingers."

"Not for long!" Emi cried, switching hands. She rushed forward and, holding the knife behind her, threw out a hook to her jaw.

She let her head rotate a full revolution before putting her hand up and stopping it manually, much to the surprise of the crowd. Once she had her head stopped, she grabbed the girl's arms with her hands and held them away from her with ease. "Change your approach. Running straight at me doesn't work."

Her eyes darted back and forth as she thought about what to do. She rotated around so she was facing away from her and used the girl's grip on her wrists to drag her onto her back. She attempted to throw her over her shoulder, but the zombie released her grip on her as her sister approached.

Hana jumped up and did a sidekick to the girl's blocking arms. As she landed, she swiped at her right hand and narrowly missed; she ended up cutting into the girl's left wrist instead and her eyebrows shot up.

The crowd gasped as the girls landed their first successful slash on her.

Saki took a second to inspect her wrist before shrugging it off and punching her attacker in the face with the same hand. She took a second to reattach her hand where the cut had formed and turned her attention back to the two girls.

Hana brought a hand to her cheek for a second then shot a glance to her sister. She quickly tilted her head to the side; not enough to where Saki would notice, but enough to give her a signal.

The other girl nodded and kept her distance from the zombie, looking for an opening.

Saki smirked and beckoned them forward. "Come on! That all you got?!"

Hana flipped her knife around in her hand so the handle rested against her thumb instead of the blade. Then she jumped up and raised the blade over her head, obviously preparing to strike.

She looked up at her and the sun blinded her temporarily, so she brought up her right hand in a fist to block it out and prepared to block the attack.

Emi gasped and rushed forward. With one solid slice, she disconnected Saki's left index finger from her hand with a _schlick_. It fell into her hand and she knelt down with it.

Her attention immediately turned to her left hand, where she was now down a finger. She subconsciously let her right hand fall back down to her side. "Hey, dumbass! You cut off the wrong ha-" She stopped as she heard a second _schlick_ go off at her other side. She turned to see Hana holding her right index and middle fingers in her hand below her. _Oh._

Both of them stood there for a few seconds, breathing heavily. Slowly, they rose back up to their full heights and held up two green fingers and one bandaged one triumphantly.

The crowd fell silent, but as all of Dorami started hooting and hollering in excitement, they got the memo that the zombie was fine and started cheering as well.

Emi picked up the finger out of her hand and inspected it. "Wow. This is cool."

"Yup, now give it back," Saki replied, swiping it from her hand. Using her pinky and her thumb, she reattached it to her finger stump then moved on to the fingers Hana was holding and reattached those ones. Once she had all her fingers back, she put her hands on her hips and looked down at the two girls proudly. "Gotta admit, didn't see that one coming. You two got mad teamwork."

Emi shrugged. "It's a twin thing."

"That was AWESOME!" someone shouted from the crowd.

Her attention turned to the crowd and she smirked. "You think THAT was good?!" She stepped past the two girls and pointed to the group. "WHAT YOU GUYS JUST SAW HERE TODAY?! THAT WAS ONE HELL OF A SHORT FIGHT! IF YOU WANNA SEE A REAL SHOW, GO TO A RALLY!"

"When's the next one?!" a different voice asked excitedly.

She was about to answer to answer with a plain 'I don't know', but then a great idea popped into her mind. She grinned. "KEEP YOUR EYES ON OUR WEBSITE! IT'S SOON! WE'LL BE GLAD TO HAVE YA!"

"Huh?" Maria asked. "Wait, what?"

She turned to the girl and walked over to her. "I'll explain in a bit. For now, be the boss. Get the crowd outta here."

She nodded and stepped forward with her hands on her hips. "Alright! Show's over! Private Dorami business going on now, okay?! So scram if you know what's good for you!"

As the crowd dispersed, conversation picked up. Some of the crowd's members merely walked to the other side of the park and watched from a distance, but most of them left the premises altogether.

Saki looked over at Lily. "Find us a Mexican place. We're gonna be done soon."

"Okay!" She pulled out her phone and started tapping on its screen.

Maria turned to the twins and smiled. "You two got guts."

They each smiled shyly as they slipped their knives back into their pockets.

She pointed to herself. "I'm your new boss, Maria Amabuki. Welcome to Dorami."

Emi did a small fistpump and whispered happily to herself. "Yes…"

"Lemme introduce you to your new crew." She walked past them and stopped in front of the five zombies. She pointed to Saki. "That's Saki Nikaido, captain of the Kamikaze Squad. She's actually one of the founders of Dorami." She pointed to the rest of the zombies and gave them a much more generalized introduction. "Marshmallow, Bandages, Blackout, and Shrimpy, the four members of the Kamikaze Squad. All zombies."

"Hello," Junko waved. "It's nice to meet you."

Hana waved back without a word.

"So do we have to buy our own bikes?" asked Emi.

Maria's face fell. She turned to Saki. "What're we supposed to do about the bikes?"

She shrugged. "Steal more. And if we can't steal 'em, we can probably afford to just buy our own if we can find the model."

She nodded and turned back to the girls. "You won't have to pay."

"That said," Saki interrupted, "bikes are Dorami property. You aren't allowed to mod them, sell them, whatever without clearance from us unless you buy your own. And if you ever leave the gang, we'll take them back."

Emi nodded. "Not a problem."

"Good. You start tomorrow. Meet us here at eleven."

She paused. "That's a problem."

She raised an eyebrow. "Why?"

"We have a school thing tomorrow. We have to go."

Maria squinted. "You two are in school?"

Sensing that she was about to say something stupid, Saki immediately put a hand on her shoulder. "That's fine. Part-timers are still members. You're just gonna get less pay than everyone else and you'll probably have to make your own squad of other part-timers once the gang gets big enough. You start on Thursday."

Emi nodded. "Looking forward to it."

"If you have any more questions until then, email us." She pulled out her key and sat down on her bike. "See you Thursday. Here at eleven."

She and her sister turned away and made their way to the water fountain nearby, where they quenched their thirst that they had made for themselves during the battle. As Emi drank, Hana looked toward Dorami and gave a thumbs up.

Saki gave a thumbs up back and turned to Lily. "Shrimpy, you found us a place yet?"

"Well, the nearest Mexican place is across the prefecture. What if we got burgers instead? There's a place just down the street!"

She moaned. "Damn it, I wanted Mexican! What happened to the place on the east side of the river?"

"They probably closed or something," Ai answered. "It's been twenty years."

"Who cares?" Maria replied. "Let's just get burgers! I'm starving!" She looked down at Lily's phone to find the place, saw where it was, and sat down on her bike. She turned it on, drowning out any more complaints Saki could dish out. Then she turned around and took off with the five zombies behind her, leaving their two newest members in the park where they found them.


	122. The Public Eye

Maria skidded to a stop and looked over her shoulder at the five zombies. She pointed to the area under the train bridge she had picked out for lunch and gave a questioning thumbs up. After receiving a number of thumbs ups in response, she turned off her bike and walked it under the structure.

The zombies soon followed, forming their usual circle of bikes. Saki parked hers and reached into the bag of hamburgers she had been given by Maria. She pulled out a burger and inspected its wrapping. There was no way to identify whose it was without looking inside. _Damn it._ She sat down on her bike and started unwrapping it.

Maria took a seat and stretched out. "Well, Shrimpy, I gotta admit, doing the video was a good idea."

The child grinned from ear to ear. "Yay! I think so, too!"

"Now that we have an online image," Ai stated, "people will start taking us more seriously and treat us like a real gang, making it easier to expand. That's what we just saw back in the park."

Saki smiled. "Yeah, I noticed. People really were scared of us back there." She unwrapped the burger in her hand and was greeted with a sloppy mess of ketchup, mustard, and mayonnaise. "Shrimpy, this one's yours." She handed the burger to the child, who bit into it happily.

"So now we're up to eight members…" Junko observed. "That's a new record for us."

"And it's only been two hours since we filmed the video!" Sakura pointed out. "Just think of how many more we'll have by the end of the day!" She took out her phone and excitedly navigated to the YouTube app to watch the video again.

Saki opened another burger and saw the double beef patties. "Bandages." She extended the burger toward her.

"Thanks." She took it in her hands and bit into it, savoring its beefy flavor. "So, do you have nicknames for those two yet, Saki?"

She shrugged as she unwrapped yet another burger. "I'm thinking something like Knives or Blades or something. I dunno." She looked down at the burger in her hands and paused. She looked up at Junko. "You don't like tomatoes, right?"

"That's right."

"This one's Blackout's, then." She wrapped the burger back up and tossed it across the circle.

"Huh?" Sakura perked up at the sound of her nickname and turned just in time for her burger to whiz right by her head. She turned around and watched it _plop_ onto the concrete behind her. She stared at it for a few seconds then slowly turned toward Saki and gave her a dirty look.

She was laughing at her. "Nice catch!"

She groaned, stood up, and retrieved her burger. "You really should warn people before you throw things, Saki-chan…"

"I did! You just weren't paying attention!" She dug into the bag for the next burger, pulled it out, and unwrapped it. _This one's mine._ She set it down on her lap, pulled out the two remaining burgers, and unwrapped one. "Maria." She tossed it to her then turned to Junko. "Marshmallow." She threw the final burger, put the bag down on the ground, and dug into her own.

There was a brief moment of silence as the group all stuffed their faces. However, Sakura broke the silence as she hummed in surprise. "Hmm!"

Ai looked over at her. "What is it?"

She immediately swallowed her bite and turned her phone screen around so the group could see. "Our video has three thousand views!"

"Holy crap!" Saki exclaimed. "We're going viral!"

"I wouldn't exactly call three thousand views viral," Ai replied blankly. "Do you even know what 'viral' means?"

"You wanna die?"

Sakura turned the phone back around and did some quick math in her head. "So, if the population of Karatsu is around 130,000 people and 3,000 of them have seen our video, then that means…" She paused for a moment and looked up to reflect her mind processing the math. "About 2.3 percent of the city has seen our video!"

Maria's eyebrows shot up. "How the hell did you figure that out so fast?"

"Huh? Oh, well, I just figured that it was one order of ten less than three divided by thirteen, and I don't know that exactly, but I know it's pretty close to three divided by twelve, or one divided by four, which is twenty-five percent. I lower it down one order of ten, multiply it by twelve over thirteen, which is somewhere between 0.9 and 0.95, and then we get 2.3 percent!"

Saki stared at her for a few seconds before turning her attention back to her burger. "Jeez, you're such a nerd."

She smiled bashfully. "Heheh, yeah…"

"So, um, Saki… this rally thing you mentioned…" Junko started. "What is it?"

She looked over at her. "Never been to a rally before?"

"I don't think anyone here has aside from you," Ai pointed out.

"Okay, then we're definitely having one." She looked up at the bottom of the train line fondly. "The gang and I used to have rallies a couple times a year…" she reminisced. "A full day of biking, fighting, music, everything. It was awesome. A great way to recruit new members and make some extra revenue."

"Then we should definitely have one!" Maria grinned. She leaned forward and put her elbows on her knees. "What do we need to do it?"

"Uh… let's see…" She leaned back in her seat, kicked her feet up onto the dash, and took another bite of her burger. "We're obviously gonna need a huge field to do it in or something… some kind of stage to stand on, microphones, speakers, music, extension cables, maybe a tent so we can chill and a couple first aid kits in case any humans get hurt…"

Junko turned to Sakura. "Do you think Tatsumi-san has some audio equipment we could borrow?"

"Um, maybe! I can ask!" She looked down at her phone and quickly made her way to the messaging app.

"Oh, crap, I gotta check the email," Maria muttered to herself as she pulled out her phone. She navigated to the email app and opened the Dorami account. "Let's see if that video actually did anything to help."

"You haven't checked it since yesterday, right?" questioned Lily.

"Yeah." An excited smile appeared on her face as the emails loaded in. "Hey! Only ninety-six!"

She bit into her burger with a cheeky grin. "That's the Lily Hoshikawa magic!"

"Are there any that we care about?" Ai asked.

Maria's eyes scanned through the email list. "Well, none of the ones we've gotten since this morning are asking if you're real, so that's an improvement, I guess."

"Well, the hell're you waiting for?!" Saki yelled. "Read one!"

She tapped on one and read aloud. "So, if you guys have zombies and they've really died, then that means they know whether or not there's an afterlife, don't they?" She blinked and looked up at them. "Is there one?"

There was a short period of silence before Junko spoke softly. "Not that I remember…"

"Me, either," Ai added.

Sakura sighed in relief. "Thank goodness… I'm not the only one…"

Maria's eyes shot open. "Wait, seriously?! Then what the hell happens after you die?!"

"You wake up on the floor of a creepy old mansion," Saki joked.

"Maybe we just didn't get an afterlife because they knew we were coming back!" Lily suggested. "So this is our afterlife, y'know!"

Ai brought her hand to her chin. "That does make some sense…"

"That's not really a question we can answer, Maria-chan…" Sakura said. "It's probably best to just ignore it."

She stared at her for another second then looked back down at her screen. She deleted it and moved down the line, deleting many as she went. "This one's asking how I got zombies, this one's asking if you're conscious, this one's asking who you are, this one's-" She paused for a minute as she read the message. "Huh. That's a good question, actually."

"What is it?" questioned Sakura.

"Is being a zombie painful?"

Saki shrugged. "Not really. Doesn't feel that different from being alive."

"Aside from not having to breathe, it's not that different," Ai admitted.

"Being a zombie doesn't hurt for me," Lily said, "but sometimes my heart gets in the way of things." She looked down at her exposed heart and poked it. It bounced to the left then moved back in place.

Her curiosity sated, Maria looked back down at her phone and trashed the email. She started going through the list more quietly so that the zombies could continue their conversation.

"It's kind of strange, when you think about it," Junko pointed out. "The idea that corpses can move around just as people can."

"Yeah, that's probably why they make horror movies about us," Ai replied. "We're not exactly supposed to exist."

"I'm glad we do, though." She reached over and placed her hand in Ai's, causing her to blush. She chuckled.

Lily leaned over and whispered to Saki. "When are they gonna get married?"

She looked down at her with a snarky grin. "You wanna bring it up to them? Be my guest."

"Um, guys…" Sakura interrupted the conversation and pointed to Maria.

All the zombies turned to see the girl with her head hung over her phone. She seemed to be reading one email very slowly. The look on her face was uneasy. "Is something wrong, Maria?" Junko asked, concerned.

She looked up from her phone across the circle at her. "Huh? Oh, yeah, it's just another person asking if you guys can bite someone who's dying."

"Oh." She sighed. "Well, it is a heavy topic that's difficult to think about."

She looked back down at her phone silently. She didn't move or reply at all.

"Maria?"

She slowly brought her head back up, her eyes slowly going around the group. "Hey, I know you guys said you can't bite anyone else, but… if I was dying-"

"There's no way in hell I'm letting you die," Saki interrupted.

"I know, I know! It's not like I wanna die!" She glared at her for a moment then took a deep breath. "I mean, like, let's say I was dying and there was nothing we could do to stop it." She paused for a couple seconds before mumbling a question: "Would you guys bite me?"

Junko nodded. "Without hesitation."

Saki stood up and walked over to her, taking a seat next to her on her bike. "You don't even need to ask."

"Why wouldn't we?" asked Lily.

She looked down. "I mean… you said you couldn't."

"The only reason we can't go around biting people," Saki assured her, "is that we can't trust them. But you?" She playfully punched her in the arm with a smirk. "I'd trust you with my life if I still had one!"

She looked up at her with a small smile. "Really?"

"Hell yeah! I know you'd never do us dirty. Don't even worry about it. We're your insurance." She paused for a moment then gave her a stern look. "That said, I'm seriously not gonna let you die. Believe me, girl. Dying sucks."

"Yeah, I don't wanna die, either. Not like I wanna be fifteen forever."

She went back to smiling and sat back down in her own seat. "Good." She took another bite out of her burger. "You know, I don't get why Shades was so worked up about us telling people we're zombies. We've been public for, like, a week and a half now and nothing bad has happened yet."

"He was probably just trying to scare us into being idols," Ai scowled.

She shrugged back. "Yeah, once you know how to deal with people when they freak out, it's really not that big a deal. I mean, now 2.3 percent of the city knows about us and we're doing fine! We don't have anything to worry about." She put an arm behind her head and kicked back. "Right now, things are really looking up for us."

* * *

The chief of the Karatsu police station sat back in his chair. It had been a slow day, just as it always had been in this boring city. There was simply no work to be done. He could check his empty inbox again or shred some useless documents, but neither of those were really important. He decided maybe he could catch some shuteye while things were tranquil.

Suddenly, his door swung open and in stumbled an officer. "Chief Sakai!" he yelled.

He immediately shot straight up in his chair and looked across the room at the man in the door, wide-eyed. Normally, when someone burst into his office and shouted like that, the situation at hand was urgent. His panic melted away, however, as he realized just who it was who had burst in. He groaned. "What is it, Sakurai? Did you see another zombie?"

He held up a finger to indicate that he should wait then put his hands on his knees and hyperventilated for a few moments. "Oh… I shouldn't have run… so soon after eating…"

Slowly, he crossed his arms. This was now the third time he had burst into his office, and he was starting to think that the poor man had lost his mind. The first time, he ran in ranting and raving about three zombies out on the streets of Saga and everyone had laughed it off as a ridiculous joke. The second time, he made a big fuss about two more on a farm next to the river and the joke was much less well-received. And now Sakai was in for a third show. What a treat.

Finally, he recollected himself and rushed over to his boss' desk. "Do you remember how I told everyone at the station about the zombies and they all thought I was crazy?"

He stared blankly at him. "I do."

"Well, now I have proof!"

He raised an eyebrow. "Do you?"

"Yes!" He reached into his pocket and pulled out a sticky note. He slammed it down on his boss' desk. "Go to this website and then you'll see!"

He looked down at it skeptically, turned his gaze back up to him, then shrugged. He pulled out his computer's keyboard and opened up a new tab, where he entered the URL. Once he hit enter, he was greeted with a red webpage with a YouTube video embedded right in the middle of the page. "This the one?"

"That's it!" He pointed at the video. "Watch that!"

"Relax." He clicked on the video and it soon started playing, showing a teenage girl in red and black standing at the edge of a parking lot with a shot of Karatsu filling the background. "Is this… Kagamiyama?"

"It might be! That's not what's important, though!"

He turned back to him, staring blankly. "I don't see how this proves the existence of zombies, Sakurai."

"Here, I'll just fast-forward to the part that matters!" He reached over his desk and grabbed the mouse, quickly scrubbing the video along. "Okay, now look!"

He turned back to the computer screen to see five shambling corpses climb over the railing. His face fell as he processed the physiognomy of each one. He shakily reached a hand up and removed his glasses. "Oh my god…"

"I told you, didn't I? I told everyone, right?" he brought a hand to his chin and gave a cheeky grin. "Huh? Didn't I?"

For once, the younger officer's smug attitude didn't rub him the wrong way. He realized he was completely in the wrong. "Those are zombies…"

"Yup! And you know what's more?" He proudly pointed to the red-and-purple haired zombie and the lone human. "Those two are the ones who broke into the hospital last night! I cracked the case!"

He stared at the screen in shock. "They're real?"

"Well, yeah!"

He took a minute to acclimate to this new reality, thought for a moment, then turned to him. "Well, Sakurai, I hate to admit it, but you were right. Good job on solving the case. We'll work out a way to bring them in soon."

He did a small fist pump in celebration. "Yes!" He turned around, celebrating to himself not too quietly. "That's another victory for me!" He closed the door behind him.

Sakai took a deep breath, looked at the computer screen, then picked up the phone. Normally, he didn't deal with organized crime, but these girls were a special exception. Zombie girls. How lucky was he that now he had a good reason to arrest all of them. If he could get his hands on them, those freaks of nature, he could fetch himself a high promotion or a monetary reward or both. He needed to capture these girls and he needed to call in a few favors to do it. He chuckled to himself as he dialed the first number on his list. Now this city was anything but boring.


	123. The Living Capacitors

Today had been legendary for tribute. People had come from all over the city to see them and with everyone standing in their turf, everyone was taxable. They had taken money from almost every single person in almost every park in the city, meaning that their expected final revenue for the day was absolutely massive. However, their hopes would be crushed as soon as Maria tossed the counted money onto the table. "Only 132,700."

Saki stood up and looked down at their earnings, shocked. "What?! We ran into way more people than that today! Why's it so damn low?!"

Ai sighed and crossed her arms. "Probably because now that people know who we are, they listen the first time we ask for money and only pay one thousand instead of five thousand. Did you notice how we've barely had to do anything today? People are just giving us their money willingly, which means we get less. Way less."

She sat back down in her seat with a scowl. "Damn it!"

The six were seated at their favorite table in their favorite wooded park. There were multiple people staring at them at the moment, but all of them wisely kept their distance.

"So we should raise our prices, then," Junko said.

Maria put the money back into her money clip and pocketed it. "Yeah, probably. How high?"

"Maybe we could start it at two or three thousand instead!" Sakura suggested.

"That's cool with me. As long as we make more money. Pretty soon we're gonna have to start paying our new members."

"Even if we don't make more from tribute tomorrow," Ai pointed out, "we're riding a huge wave of popularity right now and should start getting job offers soon. That should make up for our loss in revenue."

"We'll figure that out later," Saki sighed. She glanced over at the people in the park who were all staring at them then turned back to the group. "I kinda wanna get outta here. Maybe go to Harue's."

"It's been a while since you last went," Junko replied. "She had some bizarre experiments on Saturday she wanted us to try. You would probably love them."

"Oh, she tried to electrocute you, right?"

"She tried to tase us," Ai corrected. "It's way different, but still not a pleasant experience."

She shrugged. "I've been tased before. It's not that bad."

"Well then you go right ahead and get tased. I'll watch."

She smirked. "'Get tased'? I'll be the one doing the tasing."

"…You're gonna tase yourself."

"Yup!" she nodded. "For science!"

She shook her head with a smile. "You're so crazy."

"That a bad thing?"

She paused for a moment, considering the question, before simply shrugging. "Better crazy than boring, I guess…"

"That's the spirit." She stood up and put her hands on her hips. "Now let's go see what a taser does to zombies!"

* * *

The six Dorami girls turned into Harue's driveway and braked to a stop. Each turned off their engines and stepped off their bikes. "Yo, Harue!" Saki yelled. "You here?"

Harue ran out the side of the house excitedly. "YES!" she beamed. "You came!"

"Here we go again," Lily muttered under her breath.

She ran up to Saki and grinned from ear to ear. "I have some experiments I'd LOVE for you to try! They didn't want to, but they said that you might!"

She put her arms behind her head and shrugged. "Yeah, whatever. Heard I was getting tased. Let's get on with it already."

She squealed in excitement and sprinted into the backyard. "Follow me!" Somehow, she seemed to be even more bubbly than usual.

The group walked around to the back of the house and was met with a much more barren backyard than they were used to. There were only the four usual lawn chairs in a line.

"I wasn't sure if you were coming or not, so I just put out the chairs, so I'll be right back!" She ran inside the house and disappeared from sight.

Maria stepped forward and relaxed into one of the chairs with a snicker. "Can't wait to see you get tased. Did anyone bring any popcorn?"

Saki crossed her arms and gave her a challenging smirk. "Keep talking crap and I might just turn the thing on you."

"Keep the shock to yourself," Ai remarked as she planted herself in the seat next to Maria.

Lily took a seat next to Ai and grinned in anticipation. "I wonder if we'll be able to see her bones like in cartoons!"

"I somehow doubt it."

"I'm kinda surprised you're so cool with her doing this, Bandages," Maria said. "Didn't think you'd be on board with this sort of thing."

She shrugged. "It's just a taser. That's nothing like what I went through."

"Wait, what?" Sakura asked. "What did you go through?"

Immediately, she tensed up and looked around in a panic. "Uh…"

Suddenly, Harue burst out the back door, now holding a huge variety of things in her arms. She threw them down onto the table on the deck, picked up her notepad, pen, and taser, and skipped down the stairs over to Saki. She handed her the taser and took a step back, preparing to write down observations. "Okay! Whenever you're ready!"

"Saki, be careful," Junko said.

"Don't worry. I'll be fine." She held the taser up and held down the button, causing small bolts of blue static to appear between the two metal nodes. "Here goes nothing." She pressed it against her flesh and was surprised at what she felt. She was expecting to feel a jolt of some kind, but the tingly and somewhat enjoyable sensation that came instead was… Well, it was unexpected, to say the least. Her facial expression matched this surprise. "Huh."

"What does 'huh' mean?" Ai questioned.

"It doesn't hurt or anything. It's just tingly. Feels kinda good, honestly."

Harue rushed up to her, pen and pad in hand. "Tell me EVERYTHING!" she ordered excitedly.

"It just feels like… tingly. I dunno what else to say."

"Lemme try! Lemme try!" Lily jumped out of her chair, yanked the taser from her hand, and pressed it against her cheek. Electricity began to flow into her body. "Whoa…!"

"How do you feel?!" Harue demanded.

"Weird." She dragged the taser down to her neck and looked up at her. "It's kinda like when your leg falls asleep, but all in one spot."

"Interesting!" she exclaimed, quickly writing down some notes.

"That really doesn't hurt, Lily-chan?" Sakura questioned.

She shook her head, rubbing the taser along her neck. "Nope! You wanna try?"

"I think I'm good. Thank you, though."

Harue looked up from her writing and observed the trail the taser took. "Does it feel like it's all on the surface or are you feeling it all over your body?"

"Well, it starts up here, then it spreads everywhere else."

"So the function of the taser is still the same, just your muscles don't respond to its electric impulses!" She started scribbling down notes excitedly. "I'll have to look more into this!" She walked up onto the deck, still writing, and began digging through the pile of things she had brought outside. "Does anyone volunteer to get stabbed with an iron rod?"

"Hell no, we don't!" Saki replied.

She turned to them, dismayed. "What? Come on! Don't you wanna know how your muscles move?! It's one of the few things I haven't figured out yet!"

"Let's just chalk it up to magic and leave it at that," Ai remarked.

"Come on! Pretty please?"

"Annoying," Lily remarked under her breath. With her attention on Harue, she was failing to notice the faint blue aura slowly appearing around her body.

"If you want to study our muscles," Junko stated, "we'd prefer if you found a different way to do it. We'd like to avoid being stabbed if possible."

"Awh!" she pouted. "How do you think-" She stopped herself as she glanced back at Lily and her eyes slowly widened to the size of saucers. A creepy smile spread across her face and she picked back up her notepad and pen.

Everyone matched her gaze and gasped collectively.

Lily looked around at the group staring at her. "What's everybody-" She stopped herself as her voice came out more robotic than she was used to. "Huh?" Immediately, she released the button on the taser and held it away from herself, where she noticed her hand was glowing a vibrant blue. She gasped in shock and dropped the taser to the ground.

"Holy crap!" Saki exclaimed. "Shrimpy, you're a battery!"

"HOW DO YOU FEEL?!" Harue practically screamed in excitement.

Lily looked up at her, now panicking. "I… I don't know!" She started shaking her hands erratically, trying to get rid of the glowing effect. "Get it off me! Get it off me! Get it off me!" she screamed. In her panic, she brushed her hand against Saki's, causing half of her stored charge to transfer over to her.

Saki yelped as she felt a surge of energy enter her body through her hand and make itself at home. She looked down at her hands to see that she, too, was now glowing blue, albeit more faintly. "Holy crap! Look at me!" she exclaimed, her voice jumping between pitches much less naturally than it normally did. She looked over at the child, who, though less electrically charged, was still freaking out, and instinctively launched into big sister mode. She immediately put a hand on her shoulder and spoke softly. "Hey, hey, hey. Calm down. You're fine. We're fine. Look at me."

She looked over at her with big, scared eyes. However, her terrified expression dissipated as she saw the calm, caring expression on Saki's face and the blue aura surrounding her and she soon found herself once again relaxed in her company. She took a moment to catch her breath then observed aloud. "You're glowing, too, Saki-chan…"

"Sure am." She held up her other hand and observed it closely, flipping it over to see both sides. "Looks like the taser did do something after all."

"Your bodies act as natural capacitors!" Harue effused. She slowly inched closer to the girls and stuck a finger out toward Lily. Naturally, she was soon zapped by the girl's dormant charge and her hand flew back to her side. "And their electric fields are so strong they create an aura of blue light and modulate your voices!" She picked back up her pen and started writing with more enthusiasm than she ever had.

Saki grinned. "Looks like we just found a new power!" She glanced at Ai, who was staring back at her, slack-jawed and buggy-eyed. "Whaddya think, Bandages?"

She slowly recomposed herself and shook off her shock before answering. "I think we should test this… conductivity you guys have."

Harue looked back up at them with an excited grin on her face. "We should test higher currents! I'm gonna be right back!" She ran up onto the deck and bolted into the house.

"You know, Ai-chan, you probably have it too," Sakura pointed out as she sat down next to her.

"I don't want to test that."

"Huh? Why not?" She cocked her head. "Are you okay, Ai-chan? You said something about going through something…"

Maria leaned forward in her seat and gave her a blank stare. "What, you don't know? She got str-" She was stopped as a hand flew over her mouth, making a mighty _slap_ that echoed across the yard. She took a second to process what had happened before yanking the hand off her face and shooting Ai a nasty scowl. "The hell's your problem?!"

"I don't want her to know about that," she whispered through gritted teeth.

She squinted. "Why not? You're cool with us knowing."

"She's different, okay? She's my last fan. I don't want to lose that part of her."

"I thought you said that part of her was 'weird'."

"It is, but that doesn't make it bad. I also said I liked it, remember?"

"Okay, well, I don't think telling her how you died will make her not your fan."

She shook her head. "It's just something you wouldn't understand."

"I do understand, dumbass. You want people to remember you for how you lived instead of how you died. But you think she gives a damn how any of you died? I sure as hell don't."

She stared at her for a few seconds then turned her head back to the two electric sisters, who had since been joined by Junko. She didn't answer.

Harue burst out the house once again, now holding two flathead screwdrivers in her hands with a wide grin on her face. "You three, come inside! This part's gonna be GOOD!"

The three girls, whose light had begun to fade away at this point, looked at each other, smiled, and stepped up onto the deck. They followed the excited girl inside.

Maria and Sakura stood up and each looked down at Ai for a moment before silently turning toward the house and walking through the back door.

Ai leaned forward and rested her elbows on her knees. "Everybody gives a damn how I died…" she muttered under her breath. "You're the exception, not the rule." She stared across the yard for a minute, not breathing. She had breathed few breaths since that day, that day that she croaked. Everyone's perception of her had changed in a matter of seconds. She was no longer Ai Mizuno, the leader of Iron Frill. She was Ai Mizuno, the living lightning rod of the 21st century. No one didn't think that; no one except for one person. And there was no way that she was going to let that one person turn like the rest.

There was a sudden scream from inside the house.

Her head snapped to attention and she threw herself out of her chair and through the door. "No, no, no!" She rushed in quickly and happened upon a bizarre sight.

Before her was Saki, glowing a dazzling blue. "YoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo!" she yelled with a heavy autotune.

"Gimme some! Gimme some!" Lily ordered, grabbing Saki by the hand. Some of the blue energy transferred to her and soon her voice had the same effect. "LiStEn tO ThIs, JuNkO-ChAn! I SoUnD LiKe a rObOt!"

She chuckled gently. "Yes, you do." She reached out, touched Saki's other hand, and became enveloped in a blue aura of her own. "Oh, ThAt aLmOsT FeElS GoOd…!"

Ai's eyes scanned the room. "What happened here? Why was there screaming?"

Maria turned to her. "The power went out when Saki stuck the screwdrivers in the outlet. Marshmallow screamed."

"Oh." She relaxed and crossed her arms, watching her sisters play with their newfound powers and modified voices. She let out a deep breath, shaking out her initial conclusions of what happened she had made while she was still outside.

Harue looked down at her notepad, then back up at the girls, then back down. "Okay, I'm going to go turn the power back on at the circuit breaker so you all can load up with even more energy!" She set her pad and pen down on the table and sprinted down the hall.

Maria shot a glance at Ai then tilted her head in Harue's direction. "Blackout, go make sure she actually does it right."

"Huh? Me?"

"Yeah, you. Go."

"Um, okay…" She rushed down the hall after her, leaving the group alone.

Maria watched the girl run down the hall out of sight. "She cares about you a lot."

Ai turned her head slightly toward her and raised an eyebrow. "Who does?"

"Sakura." She paused for a long moment and turned to her. "You know, if you told her, I bet she'd just want to help you. That's just the kind of girl she is."

"So?"

"You keeping crap from her and not letting her help you… kinda reminds me of someone."

She paused for a moment then turned her gaze to Saki. Her eyes widened at the sight. "Wait… Are you saying-"

"You know how it feels to be on the other end." She stared at her for another moment then waltzed over to the couch, where she sat down and watched the laser show unfolding before her eyes. "You guys can shoot lasers?!"

Saki turned toward her with a wicked grin. "I KnOw, RiGhT?! ChEcK ThIs oUt!" She extended all ten of her fingers and ten lines of pure blue light flew out of her fingertips. She started waving them around erratically, creating a spectacle of light. She laughed with a heavily modified pitch.

Ai stared at the girl for a few more seconds before turning to the door and stepping out. She walked back onto the deck and leaned down on the railing, staring out into the yard. She thought to herself for a few minutes, comparing herself to Saki and Sakura respectively. On one hand, she really didn't want to compromise the relationship she had with her fan. But on the other hand, she knew exactly how it felt to want to help someone and not be able to because they wouldn't tell you what was wrong. She was torn between her own feelings and Sakura's. "Should I tell her…?" She looked down at the chairs the two had sat in on Friday when Ai first opened up to her about how important it was to her to have a living fan from her time. "I don't want to lose that… but…" Her mind turned to how she had felt when Saki denied her attempts to help her. "I don't want to be the cause of that."

"Ai-chan?"

Her friend's voice snapped her out of her thought and she looked over her shoulder at her. "Sakura."

She walked up next to her and leaned down on the railing like she was. "Are you feeling okay? You've been acting kind of strange since we got here…"

She sighed and looked back down at the grass. "I know."

There was a short moment of silence between the two before Sakura spoke again. "Something's wrong, isn't it?"

"Yeah."

"Why don't you want to tell me what it is?"

She paused for a few seconds before answering. "I'm afraid I might lose something."

"Lose what?"

"I… I don't know how to answer that question without telling you what I don't want you to know."

"Oh…"

There was yet another moment of silence, but this time it was longer than before. For some bizarre reason, Ai was feeling some need to look over at her friend's face. She fought it for a while, but eventually gave in and shot her a quick glance. That glance was more than enough, though, for her to see the clear pain in her eyes. She remembered how it felt to be denied the right to care about her sister and in that moment she had a huge burst of empathy. She gasped gently, froze for a second, then sighed. "No, this is wrong. I should tell you. You deserve to know."

"Huh?"

She stood up at her full height and took a moment to breathe before turning to her and looking down at her. "Sakura… I died when I was struck by lightning."

She gasped.

She looked down at the ground and continued. "I didn't want to tell you because… All my other fans from when I was alive… well, they don't really remember me for how I lived. They remember me for THAT." She shook her head. "I didn't want that from you. But now I realize I was being selfish, not letting you know. I know what it's like to not know what someone else's trauma is, even though you're just trying to help. I didn't want to do that to you. I'm sorry. I should have told you sooner."

She slowly rose up from the railing and stepped forward into a hug. She didn't say anything; instead, she just held her there silently.

Ai wrapped her arms around her friend's jacket in response. "I was afraid of change…"

"Don't be. You're still my idol and you're still my best friend." She squeezed her tightly. "I promise, that's never going to change."

Sakura's words of comfort were a godsend for her. She felt herself choking up. "Thank you…"

The two held each other for a long moment before Sakura backed out of the hug, holding onto each of Ai's hands with her own. "Well, now that I know, I'd be happy to help you work through it, Ai-chan." She looked toward the window and paused for a moment before releasing one of her hands and dragging her back to the door.

"What're you doing?" she asked as she made her way back into the house.

"Well, I think it could be good for you if you also took part in the electricity experiment."

She gasped and released her hand immediately. "What?! There's no way I'm doing that!" She looked back over at the three girls, who were all glowing much more brightly than before. Each had one hand on Saki's shoulder as she repeatedly stuck two screwdrivers into the socket. She watched the three subject themselves to lethal amounts of electricity over and over again and bit her lip. "What if… what if it doesn't work on me?"

Sakura grabbed her hand once more and squeezed it tightly. "It's okay, Ai-chan. I know you're afraid. I'll be here the whole time right by your side."

She stared at the group for a moment then turned back to her. "How can you be so sure about this?"

"Because I know you're capable of it."

The girl's words once again spoke to her and she took a deep breath. "Okay. Let's do it."

Sakura nodded and walked toward the group, dragging Ai along with her. "Hey, everyone, we're going to give it a try!"

"WoNdErFuL!" Junko exclaimed. She extended a hand toward Sakura. "JuSt tAkE My HaNd!"

She paused for a moment and looked over her shoulder at the girl behind her, who had clenched her eyes shut. "Are you ready, Ai-chan?" she asked gently.

She took a deep breath and nodded. "Do it."

Slowly, she reached forward and grabbed Junko's hand. Immediately, she was filled with a shocking power and saw her own blue aura appear. "Wow…"

Ai gasped as she felt the electricity enter her system, but with her friend right there by her side, it wasn't so bad. It especially wasn't bad once the initial shock wore off and she realized that she was fine. She slowly opened her eyes and looked down at her free hand, now surrounded with its own blue aura. She looked up at Sakura with a surprised look on her face.

She smiled. "SeE? YoU'rE A ZoMbIe nOw, So eLeCtRiCiTy cAn'T HuRt yOu! YoU DoN't hAvE To bE AfRaId oF LiGhTnInG."

A small smile appeared as she realized she was right. Lightning may have hurt her once, but she was stronger now, both physically and mentally. In death, she had defeated electricity. It never could hurt her again.

Saki wrapped an arm around her with a wide grin. "ZoMbIeS ArE InViNcIbLe! We'Re gOnNa lIvE FoReVeR!"

Ai shot a glance at her sister and her smile faltered slightly. She couldn't help but wonder if that thought process she had outside… if that was how she thought, too. In her mind, she subconsciously started formulating a plan.


	124. The Mood Shift

Sakura turned through the gates of the mansion for the second time today and stepped off her bike. Small sparks of static electricity arched between the bike and her pant leg, but she didn't care. She walked past the bike and hopped up the stairs. _I bet the front door's just open like last time…_ Her suspicions were confirmed when she reached forward and simply turned the knob. She sighed.

The five bikes in the street behind her hummed quietly; quietly enough for their riders to talk. "Looks like Misa left," Maria observed.

Saki crossed her arms. "Tch. Good. I don't wanna see her again anytime soon."

Sakura pushed open the door and stepped into the genkan. She looked to the left to see the tripod where she left it on top of the shoe cubby, but now there was something extra with it. "What's that?" she asked herself.

Resting on the tripod was a small piece of paper. The words 'for Saki' were written in a fancy handwriting and was followed by a cell phone number. It was clearly from Misa.

She picked up the note and observed it for a second. _I don't think she's interested, Misa-san…_ She slipped it into her pocket and picked up the tripod before turning back around and walking back out the door, shutting it behind her.

Saki stepped off her bike and walked toward her with a disappointed look on her face. "I hate this stupid thing." She took the tripod from the girl and turned back to the rest of her crew. "Alright, guys, let's get outta here!"

"Oh, Saki-chan! One more thing!"

"Huh?" She looked at her over her shoulder.

She held up the paper she had found with the tripod. "Misa-san left this note here… I think it's her number. It says it's for you. Do you want it?"

Her face twisted into a disgusted frown. "Why the hell would I want that?! You take it." She turned back around and walked back over to her bike.

She looked down at the note then stuck it in her pocket.

"Bye, Sakura!" Ai waved happily as the bikes' engines all roared to life. "See you tomorrow!"

She waved back. "See you then!" She watched the five bikes speed off then stepped down the stairs to her own bike. She grabbed it by its handles and pushed it through the grass to the shed she kept it in, leaving a small trail of deformed grass behind her. _Maybe we should pave this part so I don't mess up the lawn so much…_ She forced her bike up onto the sidewalk between the house and the idol studio and released it so that she could pull open the door. Once she had it open, she simply rolled it inside, shut the door again, and wiped her hands off on her pants. Little blue sparks of electricity shot between the two surfaces. She paused for a moment then placed a hand on the ground. She felt the small remaining charge flow out of her into the Earth and smiled. _That's better._ Now discharged, she made her way back to the front of the house once more to go inside for real this time. She hopped up the stairs and grabbed the doorknob but stopped as she heard the slight hum of a motorcycle engine. _Did I forget to turn off my bike?_ She slowly turned around, but noticed the sound wasn't coming from the shed where she had stowed her bike away. It was coming from the street and it was getting louder. _What's that?_

Suddenly, a girl on a red Dorami bike skidded to a stop in the street just outside the mansion's gates. Maria looked up at her. "Blackout!"

"Maria-chan? What're you doing here? I thought you were going home…"

She held up her phone, revealing an email with a long list of links. "Okoba followed through. You ready to see what's wrong with her?"

She put her hands up in defense. "Huh? M-me? I don't think that's really my business…"

She put her phone back in her pocket and walked her bike through the gates onto the brick path. "Not really my business, either, but that's not gonna stop me." She turned it off and stepped off, marched up the stairs, and walked straight past her into the house.

 _She's so assertive…_ She sighed and walked in after her, shutting the door behind her. "What're you gonna do once you know?"

She shrugged as she sat down to take off her boots. "I dunno. I'll figure it out. You got a computer we can use, right?"

 _She always acts before she thinks…_ She sat down next to her and started untying her boots as well. "Yeah, it's in Koutarou-san's office. I don't think he's home."

"Okay. I'm gonna use it to look at all these articles Okoba sent me." She grunted as she slipped off her first boot.

"Have you looked at any of them yet?" She pulled a boot off her right foot.

"Nope. Just saw that I got it." She tossed her second boot to the side and stood up. Without even waiting for her to join her, she turned around and headed toward Koutarou's office.

"Wait for me!" Sakura cried. She ripped her other boot off and stepped up into the hallway but immediately felt that something was off. She looked down to see that she was missing her left foot. In her haste, she had torn the boot off with her foot still inside. _Of course._ She turned around, sat back down, and dug into her boot with her hand. She felt her foot inside, but she struggled to free it. _Come on…_

"Yo, Blackout, you coming?" Maria called from down the hall.

"Um, I'll be just a sec!" She decided right there to worry about it in the office and stood back up on one leg. With one hand on the wall and the other holding her boot, she hopped down the hall to the office and saw Maria had already seated herself in the computer chair.

The girl glanced at her and raised an eyebrow. "Why'd you bring your boot?"

"My foot's stuck inside…"

She laughed and looked back down at the screen. "Nice going."

She frowned and hobbled over behind the desk, putting a hand on the back of the desk chair and shifting most of her weight onto the shelf against the wall. There, she was free to both watch Maria navigate through the computer and fish her foot out of her shoe. "It's hard being a zombie, okay?"

"Yeah, sure it is," she replied sarcastically. The girl had already made her way to the Dorami email and had just clicked on the list of articles Okoba had sent her. The text at the top read 'Here's everything I could find on Saki's father. Please email me back (DO NOT COME BACK TO THE HOSPITAL) if you need anything else.' It was then followed by twenty-nine links to news articles. Immediately, she moved the mouse down and clicked on the first one. "Alright. Let's see what-" She stopped as the page popped up onscreen, showing her a terrible message. "Wh…"

Sakura wasn't paying much attention at the moment, instead focusing on getting her foot out of her shoe. However, as Maria stopped in place, she did glance over at the screen. "What is it?" She saw onscreen an archived newspaper article, complete with a number of black and white pictures. In one, there was a light-haired middle schooler in a ponytail with a wide grin. She gasped in adoration. "Is that little Saki-chan?! She looks so cute!" Her smile wore off, however, as her eyes glossed over the title of the article: 'Imari Man Kills Wife with Stolen Handgun over Hidden Alcohol'. _Oh._

The two girls each started reading the article silently. Apparently, her father, Takeshi Nikaido, age 32, had lifted a handgun off a police officer and taken it home in a drunken stupor, where he had shot his wife, Naomi Nikaido, age 33, six times and thrown the gun at her after she had hid his stash of alcohol in a last-ditch effort to put a stop to his raging alcoholism. Not long after, he passed out and reports from the neighboring houses had brought the police to his location where he was arrested and brought into custody. Takeshi had a history of causing police to come to his home to settle domestic disputes. In September of 1991, an entire squad of police personnel was dispatched to the home due to him barricading himself inside, taking his wife hostage. Although no arrests were made that day, he did receive a formal warning from the police department. Nothing would ever come of it, however, as two and a half years later, he would kill his own wife in cold blood. After a thorough interrogation, it was revealed that his daughter, Saki Nikaido, age 14, had witnessed the whole exchange and run out into the cold February night. As of the writing of the article, two days after the incident, the girl was still nowhere to be found.

As both girls hit the bottom of the article, there was a gross and heavy tension in the air. The room was silent aside from the whir of the computer fans and Maria's heavy, sporadic breathing for a long few moments. After a minute or so of tedious silence, Maria choked out three simple words: "Oh… my… god."

* * *

The two girls stepped back out the front doors and each took a deep breath. It had been several hours since Maria had arrived and it was already dark. Sakura turned to the girl next to her and paused for a moment. "Did you… find what you were looking for?"

Her face was red and her eyes were tired and burdened by all she had read about her friend. Due to the excellent upbringing her mother had given her, she had no frame of reference for any kind of abuse of this kind and had no idea how to process this new information. At this point, she was barely keeping herself together emotionally. Yet despite this, she found the courage to take a deep breath and nod. "Yeah."

She looked back out into the street. "What're you gonna do?"

She stood there, unmoving, thinking deeply about the actions she wanted to take now. Obviously, she wanted to help Saki through her trauma, but she had absolutely no clue how she would do that. She had never experienced anything like what she had gone through. Her childhood was… well, it was better than hers, that's for sure. She swallowed as she felt herself choking up again. "I think… right now… I'm gonna go home and hug my parents." She slowly stepped down the stairs and put a hand on her bike. "Thanks for helping."

"It was nothing…" she replied quietly.

She took another deep breath then took a seat on her bike and started backing it up. She pulled back through the gates and into the street. After a long moment of staring into the horizon, she turned on her bike and gently twisted back the throttle, cruising along at a moderate pace. Her emotional state was wrecked from thinking about the horrors that she had read her friend going through. It was all much more than she could handle. She couldn't help but picture the image of Takeshi's mugshot in her mind and shudder. To think that someone like that could exist… it was truly disgusting. Thank god he died a week after Saki's death, because otherwise, she'd likely hunt him down and kill him herself.


	125. The Commitment

It had been a pretty good night for the group. After leaving the mansion and returning the tripod to its natural place, they had shared a nice dinner of microwave burritos, just enjoying one another's company. Then, while Ai and Saki had retreated to go shower, Lily and Junko watched Whisper of the Heart, the next Studio Ghibli film on the two's hit list. Afterwards, they planned to watch the most recent Star Wars film in the sequel trilogy, The Last Jedi. Overall, it looked like tonight was going to be a pretty good night.

Saki stepped out of the bathroom, now in her pajamas and a fresh set of bandages, and stretched. The several pops that went off in her back were loud and satisfying. She always loved a nice cold shower after a long day. She took a few moments to relax there then turned and started walking back to her and Lily's room. Her damp hair bounced against her back as she made her way down the hall and she poked her head through the door to find the child missing as per usual. _Probably already downstairs._ She tossed the clothes she had changed out of onto her bed then turned around and hopped over the banister to the floor below. There, she made her way down the hall into the living room, where Lily and Junko were seated on the couch watching something on Lily's phone. _Oh, this should be good._ With a devilish smirk, she snuck up behind them, leaned over, and prepared to spook them.

"You're not very sneaky, you know," Lily said bluntly without looking up.

Her smirk fell and she frowned. "How could you tell?"

"Your joints' movements are too loud," Junko explained. "If you really want to be stealthy, you have to silence them."

"Aw, damn it." She stood back up at her full height and put her hands on her hips. "Well, whatever. You guys ready to watch some Star Wars?"

"Is Ai coming?"

"Isn't she down here already?"

"She's still upstairs, I think."

"For real? She's normally out of the shower first."

"Yeah, she doesn't usually take this long," Lily added, looking over at Junko. "Do you think she's okay?"

"Now I'm not so sure. Maybe I should go check on her."

"I'll take care of it," Saki offered, already on her way out the door. By now, she had grown very accustomed to being Ai's shoulder to cry on. She planned to handle whatever she had coming with her usual brand of support and affection. She turned the corner at the end of the hall, walked up the stairs, and stopped outside the door to Ai's room. She knocked on it gently. "Ai? You doing okay?"

"Saki? Is that you?" she spoke quietly from behind the door.

"Yeah, it's me. You doing okay? You normally beat me downstairs after we shower."

There was a brief moment of silence before the door opened slowly, revealing Ai in her pajamas. However, all the area of her neck and face was unbandaged. Her blackened flesh and brown veins blossoming across her skin were clear as day. "I hate my body."

She flinched at the sight of her unbandaged skin, but did her best to keep her shock to herself. She stood there for a few seconds, not totally sure what to say or do. Eventually, she simply nodded slightly. "Yeah."

She sighed, turned around, and walked back into the bathroom without closing the door behind her.

She followed her slowly, taking care to not invade her privacy. She came across Ai staring at herself in the bathroom mirror and stood right beside her, looking at her reflection. "Still trying to get used to it?"

"Aren't you?"

She shrugged. "I'm kinda over the whole zombie thing."

She paused for a moment before continuing. "It's such a pain, isn't it? Having permanent burns like these."

"I guess so, yeah." She brought a hand up to her right shoulder and felt the texture of the bandages beneath her shirt. Though the bandages may have changed plenty of times by now, the burns beneath were still the same as they were when she died and they weren't changing anytime soon. Especially not as long as Ai had to suffer the same fate.

"It's hard to look at myself," she grimaced. She took a deep breath and gave her a warm smile through the mirror. "But, when you're there, it makes it a lot easier to, don't you think?"

"Uh, yeah…" She didn't really understand what she was saying, but did her best to remain supportive anyway. "You feelin' any better?"

"I think so."

She let out a satisfied smile. _That was fast._

She reached for the roll of bandages on the counter and started wrapping some around the base of her neck. "Do you mind helping me with this?"

"Sure." She stepped around to her back and took the roll as it came around and handed it back to her. As the two rose up the length of her neck, she also held up pieces of her hair to put bandages beneath.

"You and I are pretty similar, you know."

She blinked. _The hell? No we aren't. The only thing we have in common is burns._ She handed the bandage back around to the front wordlessly. _Well, that and fighting, I guess. A few shared enemies, some shared friends, the same biker gang. But I wouldn't call that 'similar'…_

She carefully wrapped the bandage around her chin then handed it back to her. "I have to admit, it's really nice to have a burn sister."

"Uh, yeah." She wrapped the bandage around the back of her neck and held it over her shoulder for her to take. It wasn't taken. She looked around her to the mirror and saw Ai staring back at her. "What's wrong?"

"Saki… when you called us burn sisters, did you really mean that?"

"Huh?"

"I mean, I know how you really don't like people caring about you, but as Lily pointed out, that's kind of a requirement for sisters. Do you actually think of me as your sister or were you just saying that to make me feel better?"

"Uh…" She froze up. That was not a question she was expecting to be asked tonight. _Crap, is that how she took it?_ She looked into her eyes and saw just that: a question. No pain, no trace of anything that could remind her of herself. _Oh, okay._ She was relieved to see that she had no real reason to say yes. "I mean, it's not like we're ACTUALLY sisters. It's more like we're both in this together, so we oughta have each other's backs. That's what I meant."

Ai stared at her in the mirror silently for a minute or so, not breathing. Finally, she spoke one word: "Oh." She slowly reached up, took the bandage from her, and wrapped it around her face.

The rest of the bandaging process was slow and silent. There was a strange tension in the air. The only sound was that of the bandages rubbing against one another as they unrolled and were placed against bare zombie flesh.

Finally, Ai grabbed the scissors off the counter and cut off a piece of bandage. She slipped it behind the others and set both the roll and the scissors back down without a word.

"Okay, well," Saki sighed, "let's go watch Star Wars." She turned around and walked toward the door urgently, eager to get out of such an awkward situation.

"Saki."

 _Crap._ She stopped and looked over her shoulder at Ai, who had since turned around to stare at her. "What?"

"Why did you let Lily and Junko care about you?"

 _The hell's she asking that for?_ She turned around the rest of the way, now even more uncomfortable and confused. "Uh… what?"

"I thought you were against letting people care about you, but you let them." She cocked her head slightly. "Why?"

"Uh…" She brought a hand to her chin, thinking of a sufficient answer. She obviously didn't want to reveal that it was because she knew how it felt to be in their shoes, because that might possibly reveal snippets of her past to her. Instead, she gave an alternate thought she had had in those two moments. "Because they deserve to."

She frowned, now seemingly offended. "Are you saying I don't?"

Sensing she had struck a nerve, she put up her hands to reassure her. "I never said that you don't. Just that they do."

She raised an eyebrow. "So I can care about you, then?"

She paused for a second then shook her head. "Never said that, either."

"So there's more to it than whether or not they deserve to. If that was the only reason, you'd let me care about you, too."

Saki glared at her, now somewhat annoyed. "Listen, Ai, I just wanna go downstairs and watch some Star Wars. If you're feeling better, then let's-"

Ai cut her off with a determined look on her face. "You let them care about you because you knew how they were feeling, didn't you? You empathize with them."

She froze. _What?! How the hell did she figure that out?_ Her eyes widened slightly, which was enough body language to give her away.

She sighed. "I thought so." She paused for another moment before continuing. "You know what it's like to be desperate for love and you know what it's like to lose your parents. You saw yourself in them and you took pity on them as a result."

She stared at her, growing more and more frustrated with her by the second. Her face slowly twisted into an angry scowl.

"But it seems like not everything you empathize with qualifies as a good reason for you to care about someone. Otherwise, you would have just said yes to me."

"The hell's your point?" she growled. "Why're you telling me this?"

"I want to help you."

"I don't need help."

She marched out the bathroom toward her. "Will you stop telling yourself that? It's so obviously not true. You might have been fine in the 90's, but things are different now. What you have isn't normal and you have to face that."

"You think I don't know it's not normal, dumbass?"

"I'm not trying to argue with you. I just want to help you."

"You wanna know how you can help?! You can shut the hell up about that because I don't wanna think about it!"

She stopped inches away from her and crossed her arms. "If you refuse to think about it, you never give yourself a chance to get over it. If you shelter yourself and try to keep from feeling the pain that comes from it, you'll never think there's anything wrong with you and you'll never want help. This isn't something that you can just ignore forever. I know it hurts to think about, but you have to."

"No, I don't! You don't GET IT!" Her voice picked up in volume and startled the girl across from her. She clenched her fists and gave her a nasty glare. "I'm not like you! Our problems are NOT the same!"

Her eyebrows lowered. "Listen. I know-"

"No, YOU listen to ME!" She gritted her teeth, leaned forward, and grabbed the girl by the collar of her shirt. "Even if I did want help, WHICH I DON'T, it's not like you could. This is way beyond anything you've EVER dealt with, Mizuno. Know your damn place." She released her and turned back around, storming out the door. "I can't believe after all this time you're still getting on my nerves…"

"Saki…"

She turned around just outside the room, now sporting a furious expression. "What the hell do you want now?!"

She slowly walked over to her, much more humbly than before. "I'm sorry. I just hate to see you in so much pain."

At seeing the girl get so soft, she realized she had gone too far. She took a deep breath to calm herself down. _I'm letting my temper get to me… Gotta cool off._ She glanced at Ai then looked away. "I'm not in pain. You shouldn't even care."

"Please, Saki…" she whispered, taking her hand in her own. "Stop lying to yourself. Stop lying to me."

She swatted her hand away and turned to the stairs. "Let's just forget about this, okay? We gotta go watch Star Wars."

Ai paused for a moment, considering her options. Thinking fast, she jumped into a hug from the side, nearly knocking the two over onto the ground.

Saki reeled back from the hug and glared over her shoulder at her. "The hell're you doing, Ai? We almost fell down the damn stairs!" This was false, as they weren't even facing the stairs.

"Sorry. I didn't mean for that to be so strong."

She sighed. "The hell are you hugging me for, anyway?"

"This isn't a hug."

"Huh?"

As if on cue, Ai immediately wrapped her hands around Saki's head and started pulling her back as hard as she could. At the same time, she lifted up her leg and pushed against her side with all her might. After a second, her head came right off her shoulders and her body fell to the ground.

"What the HELL?! What is your goddamn deal, Bandages?!" she shouted. She was absolutely livid.

She put her head under one arm, calmly walked back into her room, and shut the door behind her, leaving her body out in the hallway. She locked the door and made her way to the bed. "I wasn't done."

"I swear, the second I get my body back, I'm gonna kick your ass!" She felt her body push itself off the ground and slowly rise to its feet outside the room. She reached over and attempted to pound against the door but missed. _Damn it, I can't see!_

"That's fine with me." She hopped up onto the bed and made herself comfortable, holding the head a fair distance away from her. Once she was situated, she stared straight into Saki's infuriated eyes. "But until then, you're going to listen to what I have to say."

She gritted her teeth. "Make it quick."

"I'll take however long I want. This is more important than Star Wars." She reached a hand up and felt the bandages on her face to make sure they were tight then began her spiel. "I know you don't think you deserve to be cared about, but that's just objectively wrong."

 _She doesn't know what she's talking about._

"I don't know what happened to you to make you think that, but it's wrong. Even Reiko, the person who knows you better than anyone else on the planet, thinks so."

 _She's clueless._

"No one needs your permission to care about you. I couldn't care less whether or not you think it's okay that I want the best for you. The only reason I asked was to test a hypothesis."

 _A hypothesis? Do I look like your damn lab rat? Actually, that's a good one. I should say it out loud._ "A hypothesis? Do I look like your damn lab rat?"

She paused for a moment before answering. "You look like my sister."

She glared at her. "You shouldn't think of me like that."

"Why wouldn't I?! Didn't you read the list we gave you Sunday night? You haven't exactly given me a good reason not to, you know! If you really don't want me to care about you, then tell me why I shouldn't!"

She looked to the side. "I don't wanna think about that."

"That's your problem. You're too scared to face your demons."

She glared back at her, once again growing frustrated. "I'm not scared, damn it!"

"If that were the case, you would have told me by now. You're scared." Her eyebrows lowered as she challenged her. "You don't have the guts to face your trauma."

At mention of her guts, her anger flared up again. "The second I get my damn body back, I'm gonna KICK YOUR ASS!"

"Go ahead! I don't care!" She held Saki's head close to her face. "But don't blame me because you're too afraid to sit down and think about what happened! Too afraid to call me your sister! Too afraid to ask for help!"

"I'm not afraid, DAMN IT!"

"Then do it! Look me in the eyes and say it!"

She gritted her teeth and prepared to say what needed to be said. However, something inside her wouldn't let her; it was as if a physical entity was holding the words back in her throat. She fought hard to say it, but her throat dried up and she couldn't say anything. After a painful few seconds of struggle, she stopped. She closed her eyes and sighed. "I can't," she choked.

Ai stared at her silently for a few moments before pulling Saki's head into her chest and holding her there. "It's okay."

There was a long minute of silence between the two girls.

Saki took a seat outside the room and rested her elbows on her knees. She felt Ai's dead heart slowly beating against her head and let out a sigh. _Damn it…_

"I'm going to help you," Ai said gently.

"Why?"

"Because you're my sister. And sisters stick together." She squeezed her tightly. "I don't know how, but I'm going to help you."

"You don't even know what you're helping me with."

"That doesn't matter. If I don't think that something's going to work, I don't do it. That's just who I am. So when I say that I'm going to help you, it means you WILL get better."

She didn't respond. She didn't know what to say.

"Do you want to get better?"

"I wanna prove him wrong…" she mumbled.

Her eyebrows shot up. She paused for a moment, taking in this new information, before speaking again. "I'll help you find a way."

She sat there silently, trapped in the embrace. Outside the door, she felt small vibrations of the floor from someone walking by. Someone was outside, listening silently.

"I'll help you find a way, but you have to trust me. Trust me when I say that I won't give up on you. That I care about you. You have to think of me as your sister, Saki."

 _Another one…? Two was enough, but three…?!_ She wanted to; she so desperately wanted to, but she couldn't. She clenched her eyes shut and gritted her teeth. "I can't."

"Why not?"

"Three people who care is too much."

"Trust me. Once I'm done, you won't have to limit people who care about you. It may be too much right now, but if you want to get better, you have to push yourself over that limit and let me in."

 _Damn it, I… I have to prove him wrong. If I prove him wrong, it won't even matter. I'll prove him wrong._ She swallowed, dumping the spit out of the bottom of her throat and onto her shirt. "…Okay."

She let out a breath of relief then held her head to face her. "I promise you, things are going to get better."

She slowly opened her eyes to see Ai smiling hopefully back at her. She soon grew her own hopeful smile.

There was a gentle knock at the door. "Ai? Saki? What's going on in there?" Junko asked. "Is everything okay?"

Ai glanced to the door then looked back at her. "We'll talk more about this later. Right now, we have to go watch Star Wars." She slid off the bed and walked over to the door. She pulled it open to see Lily and Junko on the other side. "We're fine."

"Why do you have her head?" questioned Junko.

"You know what? Don't even worry about it." She leaned over and stuck Saki's head back on her shoulders, twisting it tight. "It's not that important."

Saki stood up and scratched her chin. She turned around to face her sisters and let out a deep breath. "Okay. Now let's go watch Star Wars."

"Yay!" Lily happily took her hand and led her down the stairs, while Ai and Junko followed behind.

"How did you get through to her?" Junko whispered not so quietly.

"I'm not totally sure," Ai whispered back. "I'm glad I did, though."

"How do you plan to help her?"

"We'll figure that out later. What matters is that she's letting us do it."

 _Those two need to get better at whispering,_ Saki smirked. She slipped her free hand into her pocket and looked up toward the ceiling. _Three, huh? I hope she knows what she's doing._


	126. The Distraction

Saki awoke as there was a light tapping on her shoulder. Her eyes fluttered open, quickly blinded by the abundance of light. She brought up a hand to rub her tired eye sockets. "What?"

"It's morning," Ai replied.

She sat up in bed and blinked rapidly to get her eyes used to the morning sunshine peeking through the windows. She turned to see the bandaged girl squatted down at the edge of her bed. "Morning, then."

"Morning. Are you feeling okay?"

"Uh, yeah. Why?"

"Just checking." She attempted to take a seat on the edge of the mattress, but was surprised when it fell away from her and she fell a few inches to the ground. "What the- Huh? Is it always like this?"

She snickered. "Only in the morning. You've slept on it before, remember?"

"Yeah, but I thought that was because there were four of us. It deflates with just you?"

"Lily said all air mattresses do that."

She brought a hand to her chin. "Maybe we should get you a real bed, then." After a second, she waved her hand. "Whatever. Anyway, as I was saying…" She took a deep breath. "Do you think you're ready to tell us why you left home?"

Saki glanced at her for a second then looked away. "No."

She put a hand on her shoulder. "That's okay. You don't have to right away. But I'd like you to start thinking about it more often. The more you think about it, the more comfortable you'll be talking about it."

"What? But I hate thinking about it…" she moaned. "Why the hell do you even wanna know?"

"To help you, obviously. If we know what your problem area is then we can better form a plan to help you. If you want us to help you prove 'him' wrong, whoever he is, you're going to need to tell us. We can't do anything if we don't know."

 _Huh_ _… I guess she does have a point_ _…_ She let out a sigh. "Damn it, you're right." She slowly turned to her and nodded slightly. "I'll work on it."

She grew a wide smile. "That's what I like to hear." She rose to her feet and extended a hand toward her sister on the floor. "Junko's making us rice and egg bowls. Do you want one?"

She beamed. "Hell yeah, I do!" She gladly took her hand and let her pull her up. She stretched out, feeling the usual pops and snaps go off throughout her body. She followed her sister out the door and down the stairs with an extra skip in her step. Something told her today was going to be a good day.

* * *

Sakura rode into the Seven-Eleven parking lot a bit earlier than usual. Things had been fairly calm at the house aside from Tae, who seemed grumpier than usual now that Misa had left and gone back home. She had spent a while trying to get her to calm down and eventually Yuugiri had just told her to go ahead and leave for the day so that she could handle her. She did so reluctantly, as she really wanted to help, but was also somewhat relieved. Tae could really be handful at times.

Across the lot was Maria, sitting on her bike. She was seated sideways, hunched over, looking at the ground anxiously. She didn't even look up as Sakura rode into the lot.

She rolled up next to her, turned off her bike, and walked it next to hers. Despite the girl obviously feeling worse than usual, she still gave her her typical kind smile. "Good morning, Maria-chan!"

She briefly glanced up at her then looked back down glumly. "Hey…"

She stared at her sorrowfully, already knowing exactly what was on her mind. _Maria-chan…_

"She's gonna be here soon…" she said quietly.

"Yeah…" She looked across the parking lot out into the road. "Do you know what you're gonna say to her yet?"

She shook her head. "I have no idea," she choked. She put her head in her hands. "I don't know what to do…"

She stared at her for a moment, put down her kickstand, and stepped off her bike. She sat down beside the girl on her bike, subtly and silently inviting her to say more.

"She's been putting up with that crap for her whole life…" She picked her head up out of her hands and looked over at her. Though she wasn't crying, she was in anguish. "What the hell am I supposed to do about it? I'm not a therapist."

 _I knew she hadn't thought it through all the way…_ she sighed internally. Externally, she simply leaned over and looked into the girl's pained eyes. "Maybe it's better to not say anything until we have a plan to help her," she suggested.

"I don't wanna wait, though… I wanna do something about it…" She kicked the ground with her boot. "I just don't know what."

"You can't just go in without knowing what you're gonna do, though… I think it would be better to just act like we don't know until we come up with a plan."

She stared at the ground silently.

"I'm sure that if we put our heads together, we can figure something out, but if you just run in and tell her you dug around in her past, it might not go so well…"

She looked up at her and raised an eyebrow. "Whaddya mean, 'not go so well'?"

"Well, you did go behind her back and uncover her deepest, darkest secrets. I'd be pretty upset if you did that to me…"

Her eyes bulged open. "Crap, you're right! I don't want her to be mad at me!" She put her head back in her hands and started freaking out. "Oh, god, what am I gonna do?!"

She stared at her pitifully. _Do you think ANYTHING through before you do it?_

The low rumble of motorcycle engines alerted the two to the others' incoming arrival.

 _Here they come!_ Sakura quickly hopped back over to her own bike and sat down. "We'll talk about it later, okay? Just try to act normal for now and everything will be okay!"

Maria picked her head up out of her hands then nodded and took a deep breath as she sat back in her seat. She kicked her feet up onto the dash as they normally were and crossed her arms. "Okay. Just gotta act normal." Her face twisted into a confident look, but she was clearly still nervous underneath.

At the other end of the lot, four bikes appeared from nowhere and turned in. Their riders' jackets and hair flowed in the wind as they sped toward them.

"Just gotta act normal." She took another deep breath and looked ahead. "Okay."

Sakura gulped. _Keep it together! If Saki-chan finds out before she's ready to tell her, it could be really bad…!_

The four girls skidded to a stop and turned off their bikes. Saki jumped off and looked down at the two girls happily. "Hey, guys! How's it hanging?"

"G-good morning, Saki-chan!" Sakura sputtered out, trying to hide how anxious she was at the moment. "It looks like you're in a good mood!"

She put her arms behind her head with a grin. "Yup. Today's been good to me so far."

"Well, that's good!" She shot a quick glance at Maria, who was simply staring at Saki. _I wonder if we can keep it good, though…_

She followed her gaze and turned to the other girl. Taking note of her staring, she raised an eyebrow. "You okay?"

 _Don't stare at her! What're you doing, Maria-chan?!_

Maria snapped back to reality and blinked for a second. "Huh? Yeah, I'm fine." She looked away, but her concerned expression barely changed.

Junko cocked her head slightly. "Are you sure? You seem tense."

"No, I'm just thinking."

"About what?" asked Ai.

"Uh… the rally," she quickly bluffed.

"Oh, right!" Saki turned to the other girl. "Hey, Sakura. You talk to Shades about using his stuff?"

"Huh? Oh, no! I forgot! I'll text him right now!" She pulled out her phone and started navigating through the menus. She'd gotten fairly used to the device by now, but still took a few seconds to find where she wanted to go. She started typing with both hands. _Hi, Koutarou-san! We were wondering if you had any audio equipment like microphones or speakers laying around. If you do, would you be willing to let us borrow some of it for a day? Please let us know! Thank you! Send!_ She paused for a second then started typing gibberish to avoid having to look up at them. _Hiufhvh biag oifhasiufsdjvns ahadoiajovmm kjabcnioqjio ejdnq ek qdijgsdfqjdan asdhuhgijsdjfij hsuifhisu wyquhnd jndn._

"I'm hopin' we can have the rally going by Friday or Saturday," Saki said. "We'll start prepping sometime this week."

"Saturday would be better if we're charging admission," Junko pointed out. "More people are available that day."

"Saturday it is, then!" she cheered, throwing her fist into the air. She left it there above her head for a moment as she was met with dead silence.

"What're you doing?" Lily asked.

She brought back down her fist, disappointed. "I thought you guys were gonna shout 'yeah' or whatever."

"Why would we do that?"

She stuck her hands in her pockets and sulked. "'Cause I cheered."

"Not everything you yell about deserves a response, though," Ai remarked.

"You wanna die?"

She rolled her eyes with a smirk and turned to Maria. "Are you ready to start tribute?"

She didn't respond. Instead, she just kept on staring off into the horizon.

"Yo, Maria, you sure you're okay?" Saki asked, taking a few steps closer.

She looked up at her. "Huh?" Once she snapped back to reality, her eyes scrambled to escape their direct connection with Saki's glasses. She looked over her shoulder into the sky. "I told you, I'm fine." She sat up in her seat and grabbed her bike's handlebars. "Let's just get to tribute." She turned it on immediately, drowning out any further questions with the sound of her engine. She twisted her throttle and rode past the rest of the group, coming to a stop a few meters away and waiting for the others to join her.

Saki stared at the girl for a second before turning to Junko with a confused expression on her face. She mouthed something unintelligible and Junko mouthed something back. After a moment of silent thinking, the group sat back down on their bikes and turned them on, soon pulling up alongside her.

Sakura sighed in despair as she followed the four. _This is gonna be a disaster…_

* * *

The six bikes cut off their engines at the entrance of the first park on their route and their riders stepped off. Across from them was a group of four teenagers who were chilling on a jungle gym in one corner of the park and were now staring at them.

"Let's go," Sakura said.

Maria started walking toward the group, trailed by the five zombies. She put her hands in her pockets as per usual and walked slowly, but her menacing glare and intimidating body language was nowhere to be found. Instead, she seemed to be straight-faced, standing straight up, and just going straight through the motions.

The four zombies who didn't know what was wrong with her took note of this and shot each other a number of skeptical glances.

Sakura noticed Junko next to her shooting her a concerned look and she did her best to give one back. _You're making it too obvious, Maria-chan! They're gonna find you out!  
_

Maria stopped before the four teens and stared at each of them. "You guys haven't paid since Tuesday. Got our tribute?"

"Uh, yeah," one boy said, quickly fishing through his wallet. "A thousand each, right?"

"Two."

He looked up at her, shocked. "What?! I thought it was only one!"

"Prices just went up."

"I'm not paying that! We only paid one last time!"

"Tsk." She looked away and raised her fingers. With a snap, she sent the zombies out then dug into her pocket and pulled out her phone.

"We're going already…?" Junko whispered to herself as she walked forward and started circling the group. She took off her glasses and pulled out her butterfly knife, which she had perfected but not sharpened. She started flipping it around elegantly.

The teenager, now frightened, put his hands up in front of him. "Okay, I'll pay! I'll pay! Two thousand!"

"Nope!" Saki exclaimed with her hands on her hips. She bent down inches before his face and took off her glasses. "You waited too long. After the snap, it's five."

"F-five?!"

"That's right!" Lily replied cutely. She extended her hand. "Five thousand yen, please!"

While the two zombies on the inside were collecting from the teenagers, the three on the outside encircled them. However, one was less focused on her work than the others. As Ai passed around the group, she slowly increased the radius at which she walked so she traveled around Maria's back. As she did so, she looked over her shoulder at her phone screen. Her eyebrows lowered and she walked back around the teenagers with a new thinking expression.

After a minute or two, the two girls had finished jostling the teens for money and they pooled their cash together. Saki took it and walked back over to Maria, who made a deliberate effort to avoid looking at her. She slipped back on her glasses and held up the cash. "We're done."

"Yeah." She took the cash, stuffed it into her pocket with her phone, and turned back to the bikes.

"Maria-chan! The card!" Sakura whispered loudly.

"Huh? Oh yeah!" She turned back around, fished into her pocket, and produced a business card which she tossed at the teenagers before her. "Remember the name." She turned back toward the bikes and walked back absentmindedly.

The five zombies followed at a short distance away. Ai leaned over to whisper in Saki's ear. "She's totally not okay."

"Yeah, as soon as lunch rolls around, I'm gonna have a talk with her, one-on-one. Something's up with her."

 _What?! She only has until lunch?!_

"She started pretending to use her phone and I looked over her shoulder. It wasn't even on."

"Seriously?"

"Yeah."

Junko leaned over and joined in on their quiet conversation. "She normally gives them a chance to change their minds first, but she snapped her fingers almost immediately this time."

"It felt like she was just going through the motions," Lily piped up. "I hope she's okay…"

Saki nodded and stuck her hands in her pockets. "I'll take care of it as soon as we get to lunch." She shot a glance at Sakura and motioned toward Maria. Then she gave a shrug, as if to say 'what the hell's with her?'

Sakura shrugged back, but inside she knew. She knew Maria was screwed.


	127. The One-on-One

After a long and painful series of subpar performances from Maria during tribute collections, the group had decided to go for an early lunch. Or, at least, four of six did. Sakura had claimed to not be hungry at the moment, but after a quick quip from Saki about her just eating it later and wanting to die, she had given in. The crew now found themselves at a local sushi restaurant which apparently had takeout.

Saki pulled up on the side of the parking lot opposite the restaurant and watched as the five others pulled up alongside her. She turned off her bike, stood up, and put her hands on her hips. She eyed Maria, who had parked as far away from her as possible.

Ai stepped off her bike and turned to Maria. "Maria, what do you want?"

"Uh, I don't care," she said, sitting back in her seat and propping her feet up on the dashboard. She was trying to play it cool. Too cool.

Saki walked over to where she was and played it cool much better, casually leaning on Ai's bike. "Just get me something with more meat than anything else, Ai."

"Okay." She stepped off her bike and walked past her, giving her a subtle nod as she passed. She hurried over to where Junko, Lily, and Sakura were, ushering them to come inside with her to leave the two alone.

Saki watched for a second then turned to Maria. "So, what's up with you?"

Looking for any excuse to not talk to her, she pulled out her phone. "I'm just checking the email."

"No, you're not," she retorted, yanking the phone out of her hands.

"Hey! What the hell?!"

She looked over her shoulder and held the phone above her head. "Hey, Shrimpy! You're gonna check the email for us!"

Her face lit up as she was given a new responsibility. "Okay!" she happily skipped over, took the phone, and skipped back to her bike on the opposite side of the line.

"The hell's your problem?!" Maria questioned, frustrated. She stared up at her with a scowl and sat upright.

Saki crossed her arms and stared down at her. "You're off your game today, Maria. What's with you?"

Her eyes shot open and she quickly looked to the side to avoid eye contact. "It's nothing."

She stared at her for a moment, took off her glasses, and put a hand on her shoulder. "It's not nothing. Something's got you down." She took a seat on Ai's bike directly across from her, maintaining her firm grip on her shoulder. "Cut the crap, okay? What's wrong?"

Her gaze turned to Sakura, who was staring back at her as she walked into the restaurant. She wasn't there to help her this time. She gulped, now very nervous. "S-seriously, I told you, I'm fine!"

"You're stuttering." She leaned over to get into her field of vision.

"No I'm not," she lied, quickly turning her head the other way to avoid looking at her.

Her eyebrows lowered and she leaned to the left where she was staring.

Maria's head rotated back to the right.

She leaned to the right.

She looked to the left.

"Hey." She grabbed her by the chin and forcefully twisted her head toward her. "Quit looking away. You got us all worried, girl. Something's wrong."

She glanced into her red eyes for a second then forced her eyes away. "No, I'm fine…"

"Look at me when I'm talking to you!" she ordered with the delivery of a seasoned biker.

Her startled eyes shot back to her with a sharp gasp.

Lily looked up from the phone for a second before turning her attention back to the emails.

Saki sighed. "Quit lyin' to me, okay? We're not stupid."

As Maria stared into the zombie's eyes with the new context she had about her past, she saw the tired eyes of a girl who had her childhood taken away from her.

"We're all worried about you, okay? You haven't been yourself. You're just going through the motions. We can all tell your head's not in the game."

She saw the concerned eyes of a girl who had seen trauma after trauma, fight after fight, death after death.

"And… it's hard to get into it when you're not into it, right? I mean, I hate to say it, but you being like this is kinda dragging down the whole team. You gotta tell us what's going on."

She saw the dead eyes of a girl who had lost everything and everyone near and dear to her TWICE. In that moment, her empathy got the best of her and tears filled her vision. "I'm sorry," she croaked.

Her eyebrows shot up. _Holy crap, she's crying!_ She quickly switched bikes and sat down beside her, pulling her into a loose hug. "Hey, hey, hey. It's okay. You're fine."

"I'm sorry… I'm so sorry…" she cried. It was the exact thing she had said to her parents the night before, but this time in an entirely different context and with an entirely different meaning. She wasn't apologizing for her own behavior this time, but rather expressing sympathy.

"Hey, it's not that big a deal. Just calm down and we'll talk it out, okay?"

She gripped her jacket tightly and pulled her into an even tighter hug. "I didn't know… I'm so sorry…"

She rubbed her back in an effort to console her. "Seriously, you're fine. Quit stressing about it."

"I'm sorry…" she whimpered, shaking even harder. She couldn't say anything else. All the pent-up emotion she had gathered over the last day was forcing its way out, as were the tears in her eyes.

Sensing that the girl wasn't going to stop crying anytime soon, she just decided to accept it. _Jeez, girl…_ _the hell happened to you last night?_ She kept rubbing her back and stared into the windows of the restaurant, where Junko was staring back.

* * *

"She's crying," Junko observed.

Sakura looked out the window, now very concerned. "I hope everything turns out okay…"

"Relax," Ai assured her, "Saki is one of the most compassionate people I know and she's her best friend. There's no one better equipped to handle this than she is."

She hummed an uncertain tone. _I really think she's the worst one to hear what she has to say right now…_

* * *

After a few minutes, Maria had stopped crying for the most part. All that came out now was the occasional sniffle. She still gripped onto Saki's jacket tightly, but she had run out of tears to cry as they had all streamed down her face into the older girl's shoulder. Holding her there was comforting; letting all her emotions she'd bottled up over the last twenty-four hours had really cleared her mind and there was nothing she wanted more in that moment than to continue hugging her best friend.

"You done?" Saki asked gently.

She nodded silently.

"Okay." She still rubbed her back, albeit a lot more slowly. "It's okay that you're feeling bad. It happens to all of us. Everyone's got something to feel down about." She took a deep breath and looked up to the partly cloudy sky. "We've all been where you've been. I'll be the first to admit that I've been known to shed a couple tears in my time." She paused for a moment then laughed softly to herself. "Well, I mean, probably not the first. That'd probably be either Junko or Sakura."

She blinked as she realized she hadn't actually told her the real reason she was crying for the last few minutes. She opened her mouth to tell her, but was cut off as the girl continued.

"Anyways, what I'm gettin' at here is that if there's one thing I should've told you by now about Dorami, it's comradery. Those other gangs, Korosuke, Akumeno, Miraidozu, whatever that new one was that started with a Y, they're all just in it for the money or the notoriety or whatever. But Dorami? Dorami was founded on trust."

Her eyes widened as the last sentence reached her ears. "Trust?" she whispered.

"That's right. We're a team, y'know? At the end of the day, your crew's really all you got. And if you don't have trust, you don't have anything. The girls in your crew… all of 'em, they're depending on you to be the best damn boss they've ever seen. And you can do it. I know you can do it. I've seen you do it. But when you're not, when you're down in the dumps and you really can't bring yourself to do it, if you're honest with your crew, they'll help you. You fall from that pedestal you stand on and they'll throw you right back up there. You just gotta trust that they'll catch you when you do."

She paused for a long moment, taking it all in. Her crew was really all she had. Even if her intentions were to help her, she had done it in a way that had betrayed her best friend's trust. She squeezed her even tighter and, somehow, more tears managed to form at the corners of her eyes. "I'm sorry…"

"Don't be sorry, kid. We got your back."

She shook her head. "That's not what I'm sorry about…"

"Huh?"

Suddenly, Lily gasped loudly.

The two pulled out of their hug and looked over at her. "What's up, Shrimpy?" Saki asked.

She waved the phone above her head with a wide smile on her face. "We got a job!" she yelled excitedly. She hopped off her bike and jumped up and down with reckless abandon. She soared through the air, squealing with childish glee.

"That's good! What's it say?"

She stopped jumping for a second and looked down at the phone. "Uh, it says that they'll tell us what the job is when we get there."

She shrugged. "One of those, huh? Typical." She turned back to Maria. "Anyway, you were saying?"

The girl stared at her for a second then looked back down at the ground. "I'm sorry…"

"What the hell are you sorry for? You can't just sit there sayin' you're sorry if I don't even know. You gotta tell me."

"I will, just… promise you won't get mad, okay?"

"Huh?" She cocked her head. "Why would I be mad?"

"Just promise, okay?"

She paused for a moment then nodded. "Okay. I promise I won't get mad."

She took a deep breath and then started her explanation. "On Monday-"

"Hey, Saki-chan…" Lily interrupted, walking over with the phone.

The two girls looked up at her, somewhat annoyed by her intrusion. "What?" asked Saki.

"The job says we have to meet them by noon, but right now, it's 11:48…"

Her eyes bulged open. "Oh, crap, that's soon!" She stood up. "Go get the others! We gotta go NOW!"

"Okay!" She tossed the phone back to Maria and bolted inside the store.

Saki turned back to Maria. "Just tell me after the job."

She stared at her for a long moment before nodding slowly then putting her leg back over her bike and prepaing to take off. She looked down at the email to see where it was.

"And one more thing." She leaned over and put a hand on her shoulder. "Regardless of whatever the hell it is that's got you down, give it your all out there, okay?"

She looked back up at her for a second, wiped her eyes clean, and gave her a determined nod. "I'll make you proud."

"I know you will." She stood back up at her full height then ran over to her bike. "I promise, as soon as we're done with this job, I'll hear you out!"

Ai ran out of the store, followed by Junko, Sakura, and Lily. "Why are we leaving?!"

"We got a job now!" Maria replied confidently. "Get ready to ride!"

The four nodded and sprinted to their bikes at the orders of their boss.

"Alright, let's get outta here! Follow me!"

* * *

Maria skidded to a stop, followed by five zombies, and turned off her bike. She pulled out her phone and looked down at it. 11:59. "Looks like we made it in time." She slipped it back into her pocket, stepped off, and looked over her shoulder to see the zombies all mirroring her actions. "Let's do this." She started walking into the lot, scanning the walls for their client.

It was an empty plot of land in a residential area surrounded on three sides by walls of houses; some of which had gates directly connecting the lot to their backyards. The ground was mostly concrete, but some areas had been overgrown with moss and resembled grass. A number of cars were parked in the area, but they were all near the entrance. Overall, it was a sketchy run-down lot. Pretty standard spot to hire a gang to do your dirty work.

Maria's head swiveled around in search of their client. "Where the hell are they…?" She turned around and started walking backwards, facing the zombies. "Shrimpy, who're we looking for?"

She shrugged. "The email didn't say."

She groaned and turned back to the front. "Guess I gotta yell for him, then." She cupped her hands around her mouth and started shouting. "Hey! Whoever's hiring Dorami, get the hell out here!"

"Well, it looks like she's better," Junko whispered to Saki. "What was wrong with her?"

She shrugged. "I dunno yet. We had to drive straight here before she could tell me."

"Oh."

"Come on!" Maria yelled. "We don't have all damn day!"

"Uh, over here!" A middle-aged skinny man with brown hair and bags under his eyes stepped through one of the gates on the side of the lot and hurried to the middle. "Thank you for coming!"

"Yeah, yeah. What's the job?"

"Hold on. Are they… real zombies?" He pointed to the five behind her.

She nodded. "Sure are."

He gave her a skeptical look. "Can you prove it?"

She paused for a second then looked over her shoulder at the girls. "One of you, gimme your head."

Ai immediately picked her head up off her shoulders and tossed it up to the girl in front. "Here you go."

The man winced at the sight, but retained his composure. "Okay. You're the real deal."

Maria nodded and tossed the head back. "Now you know. Now give us the details of the job."

"Sure, but just one more thing first."

She scowled. "What now?"

He took a step back and pulled a pistol out of his pocket, aimed directly at Maria's head. "You're all under arrest."


	128. The Sting

Maria stared down the barrel of the gun and nearly felt her heart stop. "H-huh?!" she cried, clearly caught off-guard. She slowly started backing up.

Suddenly, from behind every wall and inside every car, dozens of police officers appeared, all with guns pointed straight at the group. There were some on rooftops, some on the ground, and some standing behind the wall. Some were armored, some were not, but all of their pistols were pointed at the six girls. "SAGA POLICE! NOBODY MOVE!" someone shouted. They were surrounded.

The group collectively backed into one another. The six girls were now all closely packed, processing the situation at hand with frantic, terrified breaths. "W-what's happening?!" Sakura sputtered out.

Saki gritted her teeth together and scanned the area. "It's a sting!"

"I thought you said the police wouldn't be a problem!" Ai yelled, squeezing Junko's hand tightly.

"They shouldn't be! Not unless we did something REALLY illegal!"

At the entrance of the lot, a number of squad cars and one giant police van pulled up and cut off the exit. A dozen or so more police officers climbed out and pointed their pistols at the girls. They were between them and their bikes. "DORAMI, YOU'RE UNDER ARREST!" someone on a megaphone shouted. "WE HAVE YOU SURROUNDED! GIVE YOURSELVES UP!"

"We're trapped!" Junko observed.

Lily latched onto Saki's side. "I'm scared, Saki-chan!"

"What do we do? What do we do?" Sakura panicked.

"Okay, stay calm!" Saki ordered. She wracked her brain, thinking of what to do. She glanced at Maria and pulled her behind her. "Everyone surround Maria! We can take a bullet, but she can't!"

"WHAT?!" Junko screamed.

"Relax, Junko!" Ai yelled back, trying and failing to stay calm herself. "We'll be fine, but if Maria gets shot, she'll die!"

"I don't want to get shot!"

"Shut the hell up!" Saki ordered. "Now's not a good time!" She eyed the man who had played as their client and had a sudden idea. She turned to Sakura, who was right next to her. "I'm about to make a move. Fill my spot and make sure nobody can shoot Maria."

She gave her a terrified look but nodded regardless. "Okay!"

"Maria, get low. Bullets are about to fly."

She immediately squatted down in the middle and put her hands on either side of her head. "Holy crap, holy crap, holy crap…"

 _Okay, let's do this._ She looked back to the officer and immediately lunged forward. In an instant, she had one hand over the barrel of the gun and the other was reaching for his wrist.

"GET BACK!" he exclaimed in shock, immediately pulling back on the trigger. His weapon fired, sending a bullet straight through Saki's right hand and Ai's neck.

"GAH!" Saki exclaimed in pain. Regardless of how much that hurt, she still stepped forward, grabbed the man by the wrist, and forced the pistol out of his hand by the barrel. Then she stepped around to his back and wrapped an arm around his throat. She held the pistol to the side of his head and glared at all the officers around them. She had taken him hostage. "ALRIGHT, LISTEN UP!" she shouted. "NOBODY SHOOT OR ELSE THIS GUY GETS IT!"

There was a chorus of clicking sounds as every officer in the lot readied their pistols but didn't shoot. They didn't dare shoot.

Her angry eyes darted around the lot. _Damn cowards… using guns!_ She glanced down at the pistol in her own hand and scowled. _Making me use one… They're gonna pay for this!_ She gritted her teeth. "WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU TRYIN' TO ARREST US FOR?!"

There was a short moment where the only sound in the air was the frantic breathing of Saki's hostage until Junko gasped. "Ai! Your neck!"

"I'm okay!" she replied with clear pain in her voice. "It's not that bad!"

Saki wanted to look over, but she knew if she let her attention falter, her hostage might have a chance to escape. She kept her attention locked on the situation at hand. "SOMEONE BETTER START TALKING OR I'M GONNA HAVE TO SPILL SOME BLOOD!"

The voice on the megaphone returned. "WHAT ARE YOUR DEMANDS?!"

"DEMANDS?!" she shouted back, turning herself and the hostage to face the line of police cars. "I DEMAND YOU TELL ME WHY THE HELL YOU PULLED A STING ON US!"

"MARIA AMABUKI AND ONE OTHER ARE WANTED BY THE SAGA POLICE DEPARTMENT FOR BREAKING INTO A HOSPITAL MONDAY NIGHT AND ASSAULTING THREE SECURITY GUARDS!"

"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT?! WE DIDN'T DO THAT, DUMBASS! WE PULLED ONE PRANK IN THE MIDDLE OF THE DAY AND DIDN'T HURT ANYONE!"

"Um, Saki-chan!" Sakura piped up.

She glanced at her out the corner of her eye. "What?!"

She looked down at the ground sheepishly. "W-we did do that… well, Maria-chan and I did, anyways…"

Her eyes shot open and she rotated her head the rest of the way toward her. "YOU DID?!" In her moment of distraction, she was caught off-guard and the officer she had taken hostage quickly escaped her grasp and took the gun back. She looked back to see herself mere inches away from the barrel of the gun she had held seconds before. _Crap!_

"ALL OF YOU, PUT YOUR HANDS UP!" he ordered. He kicked Saki back and pointed the weapon straight at the girls. He started backing up. "YOU HAVE UNTIL THE COUNT OF THREE!"

Saki stumbled backwards into the group and glanced over her shoulder. "Okay, we gotta figure out a way outta here! Bandages, you have a plan?!"

"I don't know!" she yelled back. "This is happening too fast! I can't think!"

"What do we do? What do we do?" Sakura whimpered.

"ONE!" the officer yelled.

"Holy crap, holy crap, holy crap…" Maria grabbed Junko by the sleeve. "Don't forget to bite me if I die!"

"What?!" She looked down at her for a second, then over at Saki. "If we don't comply, Maria could get shot!"

"TWO!" the officer continued.

"Are we going to jail?" Lily wailed.

"Do we have any other options?!" Ai replied. "That's the only way I see Maria not dying here! We have to surrender!"

"What?!" Saki shouted. "Are you dense?! We can't go with them!"

"THREE!" the officer shouted.

"WAIT!" Sakura cried, throwing her hands over her head. "I surrender!"

"I surrender!" Junko repeated, doing the same.

Ai and Lily also raised their hands over their heads.

Saki turned around and stared at the four zombies angrily. "You aren't actually giving up, are you?!"

Maria slowly rose to her feet with her hands above her head. "You said we could break out of jail, right?" she whispered. "We're not giving up yet. Just act like you are."

She stared at her a second skeptically. "There's no way I'm giving myself in."

"Do you still trust me?"

She kept her eyes on her for a long moment then slowly raised her hands over her head and turned around to face the officer she had held hostage mere moments before. "We surrender."

Slowly, he stepped forward, maintaining a firm grip on his gun, and grabbed Saki by the arms. He spun her around and put her hands behind her back. "Good choice."

Before long, a whole group of officers had started detaining the girls, who were all compliant. Saki grimaced as she felt metal handcuffs being placed onto her wrists. She shot a glare at Maria. "So, you wanna explain to me why the hell you broke into a hospital without telling me?"

She paused for a second and bit her lip. "I was about to. Remember when I asked you not to get mad?"

She sighed. "Nevermind, then. If it's gonna piss me off, I don't wanna hear it right now. Right now I gotta think how we're gonna get outta this. We'll talk about it later."

She sighed and looked down at the ground. "That's probably a good idea."

Once the officers were done handcuffing the girls, they walked them over to the line of squad cars. There, one smug-looking man with a megaphone was waiting. "Good afternoon, Dorami," he smirked.

The six merely glared at him.

"My name is Sakai. I'm the chief of police for Karatsu." He leaned over and grinned in Junko's face. "But I don't think that'll be true for long now that I have you lot. I should be getting a nice promotion for this."

The girl brought her head back with his intrusion, clearly uncomfortable. "P-please stop…"

He chuckled and stood back up at his full height. "Book 'em."

The girls were forced toward the black police van, which had had its back doors opened in anticipation of their arrival. Before them was a long dark box lined with benches attached to the walls. There were no windows aside from those on the back door and it generally felt like one of those trucks that supervillains are thrown into in cartoons. And just like cartoons, each zombie was thrown in without any regard for their well-being. Literally. "Oof!" "Ow, damn it!" "Uhee!" "Hey!" "Gwooah!" Each's response to being tossed into the van echoed through it and they all landed in the back in a small pile.

Maria closed her eyes and prepared to be tossed in with the rest, but was surprised when the doors closed in front of her instead. "Huh?" She opened her eyes and looked over at the chief. "Aren't I going in there?"

Sakai laughed. "I'm sorry, are you a zombie, too? Last I checked, people go to prison. You get to ride with us."

The five zombies gasped. "Wait, we aren't going to jail?!" Sakura cried, scrambling to her feet. She hopped up onto one of the benches and looked out the window, followed by the other four. "We aren't going to jail?!" she repeated.

He looked up at the group and cackled with laughter. "Don't be stupid! Are your brains rotten, too?! I'm sure some government organization will gladly take you off my hands and reward me handsomely. This could very well be the last time you'll ever see the light of day."

Maria gasped. "Wait, WHAT?!" Immediately, a spark was lit within her and she started fighting to break free of her handcuffs and the officer restraining her. "NO! YOU CAN'T TAKE THEM FROM ME! THEY'RE PEOPLE, TOO! LET GO OF-" She was temporarily stopped as the officer holding her pressed her face against the hood of a squad car, but she didn't let up her speech. "NNGH! I WON'T LET YOU TAKE THEM! YOU CAN'T DO THIS!"

Likewise, the five girls were now pounding on the glass with their heads and screaming. "LET US THE HELL OUT, YOU COWARD!" Saki shouted. "I'LL KILL YOU!"

The man outside simply gave the girls a smug smirk and turned away from the van and started talking to another chief of police. "Well, Koji, I must thank you for letting me use the SAT for this. It really made a difference."

Thinking fast, Saki jumped down from the bench, backed up against the wall opposite the doors, sprinted toward the exit, and threw herself against the doors with all her might. Though her impact made a small _bang_ , the doors didn't budge. "NO!"

"Saki-chan!" Sakura stepped down and gave her a determined look. "Together, I think we can do it!"

She nodded confidently. "C'mon! Help me break down this door!" She stepped back to the back wall, soon followed by Sakura.

"Okay, three, two, one!"

The two sprinted forward and smashed themselves into the door with yet another _bang_ , but it was still no use. They were still locked inside. "Damn it!" Saki growled. "Ai! Junko! Lily! Give us a hand!"

The three nodded and stepped off the bench. Now, with their combined power, the five backed up against the back wall.

"Three, two, one!"

They all pushed off the back wall and bolted across the van. They threw themselves against the back doors with a loud _BANG_ and were incredibly distraught when that extra sound effect meant nothing in terms of freedom. They all slid down the surface of the door to the floor with a depressed moan. "Damn it…" Saki complained. "Why the hell did you have to break into a hospital, Sakura?!"

"W-well, to be fair, I was actually trying to stop her…" She let out an exasperated sigh and hung her head. "I knew it was a bad idea…"

"That doesn't matter right now!" Ai stated. She rose to her feet and started inspecting the door visually, looking for any way to open it from the inside without brute force. "We've got to find a way out of here!"

"What's the point?" she moped. "We already tried running into it. Besides, we're all handcuffed. Even if we did find something to open it, there wouldn't be anything we could do."

"Don't be such a downer!" Saki replied. "We can find a way out!"

"Can we, though?" She rested her head on her knees. "Personally, I don't think we have what it takes."

"Well, what about calling for help?" Ai suggested.

"Don't be stupid. No one is around to help us and even if they were, they'd have to fight through hordes of armed police officers. Are you even listening to yourself?"

She looked down at her, now offended. "What's that supposed to mean?! Are you trying to start something?!"

"There's no use in even trying. Sit down, Ai-chan. It's over."

"Quit being a moody bitch!" Saki yelled. "At least she's trying to do something!"

"A waste of time. I should have known me joining a gang would end terribly."

Lily leaned over and rested her head in Saki's lap. "I'm scared, Saki-chan… what if Sakura-chan is right?" She sniffled. "What if I never get to see Pappy again?"

She looked down at the child then leaned over and pressed her head against hers. "I'll still be here for you, kid. They'll have to pry you from my cold, dead hands."

After a minute or so of searching, Ai slumped back down to the ground, defeated. "There's no way out."

"I told you so," Sakura snapped.

She glared at her. "Is the commentary necessary?"

"I'm just saying, it's hopeless. Don't get mad at me."

"Don't get mad at you?! You're part of the reason we're in this mess to begin with! The police wouldn't be after us if it weren't for you two breaking into a hospital!"

She looked up at her, frustrated. "I told you, I tried to stop her! If anything, it's her fault!"

Saki took a deep, solemn breath. _She really is the reason we're in this mess… What the hell was she thinking? Why didn't she tell me?_ She stared ahead at the side of the van and found herself growing frustrated. She gritted her teeth. _Damn it Reiko, you raised an idiot._

Ai sighed. "Whatever. Now we're trapped in this stupid van with no way out. We might never see her again."

"We might never see ANYONE again," Sakura growled.

The child whimpered and squirmed in Saki's lap.

Saki sat up and turned to the two bickering girls. "Will you shut the hell up?! You're freakin' Lily out!" She paused for a moment then sighed. "And besides, if this really is the end, I don't wanna have to listen to your yapping the whole time."

There was a brief moment of silent despair before Junko took a deep breath and stood up. She slowly walked to the middle of the room. "This isn't the end."

Sakura stared at her blankly. "How is it not?"

She turned around, now more determined than she had ever been. "We still have one last card up our sleeve!" She pushed with one arm and pulled with the other, forcing her wrists against the edges of her handcuffs in different directions.

"You can't break handcuffs, Junko," Saki sighed. Believe me, I've-" She stopped as she watched one of the girl's hands, which had popped off at the wrist, fall to the floor. "…Tried."

With her one free hand, she bent over and picked up her fallen hand. She twisted it back on her wrist, stood back up, and clenched her fists. Now, with only one hand in handcuffs, she was free to gesture as triumphantly as she pleased. "There's one thing you've all forgotten! We're zombies! And we will not be restrained by some van! I know exactly how we're going to break out of here!"

* * *

Maria sat in the back seat of one of the squad cars with her legs outside the door, not even listening to the officer in front of her informing her of her right to counsel. She was too heartbroken over the loss of her friends to care. In her mind flashed imagery of Saki, Lily, Ai, Sakura, and Junko, all of whom she had lost forever. And it was all her fault. It was her idea to break into that damned hospital. And now, not only had she lost them as a result, but they had lost their freedom, their homes, all their other friends and family. She had cost them their livelihoods. If she had any tears left to cry, she would, but she had let them all out minutes before, so instead she just stared down at the ground, numb to the outside world.

It had been several minutes since she had last seen her friends in the windows of the van and things had mostly calmed down since then. Most of the police officers had left thanks to a job well done and all the remaining ones, around twenty or so, were all standing around either taking care of business or discussing the existence of real-life zombies. Sakai in particular was clearly in an excellent mood, as he was in the middle of celebrating.

Suddenly, there was yet another a loud _BANG_ from the back of the van. There had already been several at this point, so it wouldn't have been much of a cause for alarm had it not been for the fact that this time, the doors had been seriously deformed. Each one now flaunted a sizeable dent that bulged outward.

All conversation immediately stopped and everyone turned to the door. Several started stepping back. Others drew their weapons. The officer reading the girl her rights stopped and looked at the doors of the police van. "What the…?"

"GRAAAUUUHAGGHHAHHH!"

Maria's eyes shot open. She knew what that screech meant. Immediately, she used her boot to shut the car door and held it shut by sliding her shoe beneath the handle and crawling back on the seat. She grinned from ear to ear, now ecstatic. It seemed like this might not be the end after all.

Sakai stared at the van for a second then turned his gaze to Maria. Immediately, he sprinted over and tried to force the door open, but it wouldn't budge as the girl held it shut. He pounded on the window. "What're they doing?!"

She simply laughed. "You shouldn't've messed with the walking dead!"

"What?!"

There was yet another _BANG_ and the doors of the van deformed even more. This time, there was enough of a gap between the doors that one could see through just enough to see a glowing red eye staring out.

Sakai looked at the door for a moment then turned back to Maria, who was laughing maniacally. "STOP THEM!"

She shrugged smugly. "Sorry, chief, but even I can't control them when they're like this. You should either say your goodbyes or get the hell outta here."

His eyes darted between the girl in the van and the hole in the door several times before he pulled out his gun and aimed it at the deforming doors. "I will not back down."

"Have fun dying, then!"

Just then, there was a loud _CRASH_ as both doors of the van flew open. Out stumbled four zombies, all of whom were moaning and groaning mindlessly. Each only had one handcuff on at the moment and all had taken off their sunglasses. They piled onto the pavement together and slowly rose to their feet, shambling the whole time.

Junko walked forward from the back of the van triumphantly with a single handcuffed fist in the air. "You won't kidnap us that easily!"

Every officer who hadn't already drawn their weapons by this point immediately drew once more. "STAY WHERE YOU ARE!" one ordered.

The feral Sakura turned her gaze to him and screeched. "GHRAAAGHAHH!" She rushed over and swiped, immediately slicing his gun clean in half and leaving the man speechless. Then she grabbed the man by the shoulders and started shaking him violently.

There was a loud _BANG_ as another gun went off and fired a bullet straight through the side of the zombie's head.

"GAARRAHH!" Lily rushed over and started clawing at the man. Her petite fingers tore through his uniform and made small gashes on his chest, leaving a stunned officer standing there.

Sakura didn't let up either. Despite the whole through her head, she kept on shaking the man.

In seconds, the surrounding area turned into a cacophony of panicked gunfire. Bullets tore through each of the four feral zombies, but none of them showed any signs of stopping. "What the…?! What are these girls?!" an officer cried in shock.

"We're zombies," Junko answered calmly, bringing her hand down to her hips. She watched Ai jump into action and took a relaxed breath of fresh air. "I recommend you surrender before they end up taking a life."

Saki leaped over to the officer who had yelled and landed on top of him, knocking him to the ground. "HRAGRHAHH!" She slapped his gun away and started slashing and hacking away at his face, creating a mess of blood on the pavement.

Junko gasped at the sight of blood being spilled and quickly jumped down and pulled the zombie off of him. "What are you doing?!" She looked away as she did so, but she still heard the pained moans of the man on the ground. "Saki!"

The girl in her hands immediately snapped back to reality and looked around. "What the hell?!"

"We're outside!" she quickly explained. "The others are still feral!"

She climbed to her feet and nodded. "Got it! You go find Maria, I'll help fight!" She quickly rushed toward one trembling officer and tackled him to the ground. "HOOAH!"

Junko immediately scanned the area and saw Maria sitting in a squad car watching the madness ensue with a wicked grin. Her eyes lit up and she immediately jumped over the carnage to the side of the car facing the street. She pulled the door handle only to find that it wouldn't budge. "Oh…" She leaped over to the other side and tried again, this time successfully opening the door. She looked at the girl inside with a neutral expression. To be honest, she wasn't totally happy to see her at the moment. Regardless, she was still cordial in her voice. "Are you okay, Maria-san?"

"MARSHMALLOW, BEHIND YOU!" she screamed.

"Huh?" She turned around just in time to see the barrel of a gun mere inches from her head. "Eep!" She leaned to the side immediately, narrowly avoiding a shot from the officer at the other end. After that first shot, she immediately grabbed the wrist of her attacker and aimed the pistol skyward. "Please don't aim that at me!"

Sakai gritted his teeth and looked down at the zombie currently holding his gun up. "I won't be going down without a fight, either."

"What?! I don't want to fight you!"

"Chief!" an officer shouted. He raised his gun toward Junko and fired. The bullet flew straight through her left wrist, leaving a hole in its wake. Then he was tackled to the ground by a feral Lily, who grabbed him by either side of his head and started bashing his skull against the ground hard enough to give a concussion.

Junko gasped and immediately released the weapon. She grabbed her wrist with her other hand and felt the intense, burning pain that came with having a hole in your wrist and felt tears forming at the corners of her eyes. She looked up to see the gun she had before once again pointed at her forehead. "Eep!"

"You're coming with us," Sakai growled.

Her eyebrows shot up. Something about getting back into that van, being in an enclosed space with no control of where she was going, cut off from the outside, headed toward the end, lit something within her. "NO!" she screamed, immediately stepping back and kicking him in the chest. She must have kicked with all of her might, because he reeled over in response and moaned in pain. She took this opening to uppercut the man's lowered face and send him stumbling backwards.

"Holy crap!" Maria grinned.

He groaned and dropped his pistol to the ground. He reached down to grab it again, but scowled as it was kicked away from his hand. He looked up and gasped.

Junko was holding the loop of keys that was once around his belt with a dirty glare. "Which one of these is for handcuffs?"

His hands flew to his belt where his keys usually were and noted their absence. He stared at her in shock.

"Hell yeah, Marshmallow!" Maria cheered from inside the squad car. "That's how it's- GUAH!" Her cheering stopped as someone was thrown onto the windshield of the car. She quickly climbed out and started running around it toward the street. "Let's get outta here!"

Junko turned around and jumped onto the squad car where she got a good view of the four girls. She cupped her hands around her mouth. "Saki! Ai! Sakura! Lily! Let's go!" She tossed the keys through the air in the general direction of one of the zombies.

Saki looked up, disappointed, but caught the keys in her hand regardless. "It's over already?" She chucked the gun she had been beating an officer with at another one as hard as she could and used her free hand to identify which key was the handcuff one. Once she had it, she looked over her shoulder to make sure everyone else had woken back up then ran into the street straight toward Maria. "Alright!"

The girl held her arms out behind her and looked over at the crowd of officers; about half of them had been defeated brutally by the feral zombies, most of the rest were trying to help their fallen coworkers, and the two remaining, including Sakai, were scrambling to get people to attack. She bounced up and down impatiently. "Come on, come on, come on!"

"Shut the hell up!" she ordered. She quickly slipped off one of the cuffs and slipped the ring of keys into her pocket. "I got one! Now drive, you idiot!"

Without question, the girl immediately jumped onto her bike, pulled her key out of her pocket, and turned it on. She twisted back on the throttle as hard as she could and took off immediately.

The five zombies soon did the same, save for Ai, who wisely stayed behind for a second and pulled out her nail gun. She quickly shot out at least one tire of each patrol car, leaving the officers with no way to chase them, before slipping her nail gun back into her pocket and turning on her bike. She twisted back her throttle and sped off, following her fellow gang members in their escape.


	129. The Breach of Trust

The six bikes tore through the streets of Karatsu at high speeds away from the lot they had nearly been arrested at. After their little showdown with the local law enforcement, things were really heating up. Now they were criminals on the run trying to avoid as many police officers as possible. Their route to their chosen hiding spot was long, intense, and scary. However, after a ride across the river, the six girls came across the train bridge they were very familiar with and rode off the street. Saki skidded to a stop in the shadow of the structure and looked over her shoulder to see her three sisters as well as Sakura and Maria drive down the hill and stop in the general area. She turned off her bike and immediately ran over to Lily. She squeezed her in a tight hug, feeling the girl's heart beat against her chest. "You okay?" she asked.

"I think I got shot…" she whimpered.

She backed out of the hug and put a handcuffed hand on her shoulder. "Where'd they shoot you?"

She pointed to her upper right arm, where there was a dark hole in her jacket's sleeve. "Right here…" She next pointed down to her abdomen, where there was a small tear in her shirt. "And over here…" Finally, she pointed to her left collar bone, where a dark hole burrowed its way into her flesh. "And here."

"Aw, damn…" She gently felt each of her sister's three holes. "We're gonna have to get you some bandages for those. How bad do they hurt?"

"It doesn't hurt much anymore, but it hurt a lot when I first woke back up…"

"And you toughed it out? Nice job, kid!" She ruffled up her hair with a smile. "You did good back there. I'm proud of you."

She grinned from ear to ear. "Yay!"

With one sister sated, she turned to Junko, who just finishing the process of removing her handcuff from her other hand, and stepped into a gentle hug. "How're you holding up?"

"I'm doing alright," she replied. After a second, she pulled out of the hug, held up her left hand, and pulled back her sleeve, revealing the hole in her wrist. "I was only shot once."

She inspected it closely. "Is it bad?"

"It doesn't really hurt that much anymore." She rolled her sleeve back down to cover it again and let her arm fall back to her side. "I just don't like to look at it." She glanced down at Saki's chest, gasped, and looked away. "Oh, Saki…" she winced.

"Huh?" She looked down at herself to see what had to be four or five bullet holes spread across her chest. "Aw, man! They shot me in the boob!"

The girl before her blushed lightly and slipped her new handcuffs into her pocket. "Y-yes, they did…"

She stared at her bullet-ridden chest for a moment before shrugging. "Aw, well, whatever. I bandage that part anyways." She looked back up at Junko and put on a proud grin. "Hell of a plan, Marshmallow! Nice work!"

She gave her a warm smile. "Thank you."

With the next one done, she glanced over her shoulder at Ai, who was in the middle of pushing aside locks of Sakura's red hair.

"Yeah, there's one in your head," she observed. "I can see through to the other side."

Saki jogged over and called for her. "Ai!"

She glanced in her direction and smiled. "Saki!" She met her halfway and wrapped her arms around her with a smile. "We did it!"

"Yeah, we did!" She pulled out of the hug but still kept her hands on both her shoulders. "You doin' okay?"

She sighed as she brought a hand to her neck, pointing to the obvious hole on the left side. "Well, I could be better."

"Yikes. Anywhere else they shot you?"

"A couple times in the stomach. One in the hip."

"Do they hurt?"

"Not anymore."

"Good." She gave her a proud nod. "Nice job out there. You were real determined. I respect that."

She gave a humble shrug. "It really was nothing."

Satisfied with her comments, she released her hands from her shoulders and let out a relieved smile. _Glad they're all okay…_

"That's gotta be the coolest thing you've ever done!" The excited voice of Maria hovered through the air. "I can't believe you actually had them go feral! That's, like, our secret weapon now!"

Saki turned around to see the girl standing in front of Junko waving her arms around energetically. She stared at her for a moment, eyes growing wider and wider, then started marching over with a scowl.

"Did you come up with those lines yourself? Because that was badass!"

"MARIA!" Saki growled, now only a few meters away.

She turned to her with a massive grin on her face. "Saki! Holy crap, you were awesome out ther-" Her fierce excitement was cut short as a green fist collided with her cheek with a mighty _smack_. She stumbled backward, surprised, but before she could process what was happening, she was yanked forward by the collar of her shirt. She opened her eyes to see the furious face of Saki before her. "Wh…"

"WHAT THE HELL WERE YOU THINKING?!" she shouted vehemently. "DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA HOW CLOSE THAT WAS?! WE ALMOST GOT CAPTURED BY THE GODDAMN GOVERNMENT BECAUSE OF YOU!" Her voice echoed across the river and silenced everyone in the vicinity. She attempted to take a few short breaths, then gave up as her lungs had holes on either side of them and continued. "WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU?!"

Maria stared at her, silenced by pure shock.

She stared at the stunned girl in her hands for a second, fuming, before releasing her, grabbing either side of her head, and roaring in anger. "NNGAAAAAAHH! God damn it, Maria! Why the hell didn't you tell me you broke into a hospital?!"

She looked down at the ground and mumbled something unintelligible.

"What?! I can't hear you, damn it! Speak up!"

"I'm sorry…" she mumbled, a bit louder this time.

"Damn right you are!" she yelled in her face. "If we didn't know how to go feral, we would still be in that van because of you!" She scowled and started rolling up her sleeves. "Square up. I'm gonna kick your ass."

"Saki, that's enough!" Junko cried. She stepped in front of her and pushed her backwards a bit. Once she was a good distance away, she looked into her eyes with a disappointed look. "I know you're upset with her right now. I am, too. But violence isn't going to solve anything. You need to calm down."

Lily walked up beside her and gave her a sad stare. "I don't want you and Maria-chan to fight, even if she did get us captured… You said you wouldn't get mad, remember?"

Ai pushed her down onto the seat of her bike. "We can talk this out. Just like how you and I talked our thing out last night."

She looked past them at Maria, whose cheek was already in the process of bruising, and sighed. Though she disagreed with them, she could see their point. These modern times were different and her old-fashioned method of settling disputes wouldn't really fly with these girls. "Fine." She crossed her arms. "We'll talk it out."

With relieved sighs, the three girls stepped aside. "Come on, Maria," Ai coaxed. "We're going to have a conversation about this. Sakura, you, too."

The zombie sighed and sulked over to Maria's side.

There was a long moment of silent tension before Maria stepped forward. "I'm sorry," she choked. "This is all my fault." She clenched her fists and looked down at the ground, shaking with every breath. "I went behind your back… and… I almost lost you for it." She looked up at the girls across from her with tears in her eyes. "I regret ever breaking into that stupid hospital… I swear. I shouldn't have done it… and it was a stupid idea… and I'm sorry!" she blubbered out. "I never wanted to hurt you!"

Saki stared at the girl analytically for a second before delivering her response. "I'm not mad that you broke into a hospital. I'm not the boss of you-" She stopped for a second and glared at Sakura. "Well, no, I am the boss of YOU." She looked back at Maria. "But you can do whatever the hell you want. I don't give a crap. I'm just mad you didn't tell me. There's a whole process you gotta go through to make sure you get off clean when you do these things. You should've told me so I could help you deal with it so the cops wouldn't spring up on us."

She stared at the ground pitifully.

Ai leaned over and whispered in Saki's ear. "You can take care of this now, right? You know how to make the police stop trying to arrest us?"

She waved her hand. "Of course I do. No cop can resist a good old-fashioned bribe. I just prefer to do it BEFORE the crime."

"Okay, good."

She turned her attention back to Maria. "Why didn't you tell me?"

She paused for a long moment before repeating the question she had asked earlier: "Promise you won't be mad?"

"It's too late for that! I'm already mad! Just tell me, damn it!"

She reached across her chest and softly rubbed her arm in a show of humility. "I… I didn't want you to know. It was… kind of like… a surprise."

She stared at her blankly. "Hell of a surprise."

"Well, I mean… You remember on Monday when we were sitting on the roof and my mom called?"

She squinted. "Yeah." _What the hell does that have to do with this?_

"You told her how she couldn't care about you or whatever then you left… And then later Bandages explained to me that you had some sorta trauma and wouldn't tell anyone what it was… And that you wouldn't let anyone help you."

She glared at Ai out the corner of her eye for a second then looked back at her silently. _Hold on a second… Where's she going with this…?!_

"So… I thought… I didn't really need your permission to help you, I would help you anyways… So… I broke into the hospital to talk to Okoba so he could give me some information."

 _Oh, god._ Her heart started beating faster and faster. _Don't tell me…_ Her fingers dug into her pant legs and she clenched her teeth together. "What information?!"

"I-Information about your dad. H-he showed me everything."

In an instant, Saki's world slowed to a crawl. She stared at the girl in pure shock. She didn't know what to say. She didn't know what to do. She didn't know what to think. No one had EVER found out the whole truth. This was unprecedented.

She looked up at her with a sorrowful look. "I'm sorry." She started choking up. "I get it now. I get why you don't like to talk about it and I'm sorry I went behind your back to find out." She gasped for air, as she was now crying in full force. "I only wanted to help you…" She shook her head. "But I shouldn't have betrayed your trust to do it…"

"Wait, Maria-chan knows what happened to Saki-chan?" Lily whispered to Ai quietly.

She simply put a finger in front of her face in response, indicating that she should be quiet.

Maria looked back down and started rubbing her arm again. "That's what I was crying about earlier… Thinking about the stuff you went through… I couldn't handle it. I don't know how you do." She looked back up, tears streaming down her face. "I don't know what I'd do if I saw my dad kill my mom."

Ai, Junko, and Lily gasped in unison and looked down at Saki, who was merely staring ahead, unblinking and unmoving. There was a short moment of silence before Junko placed a gentle hand on her shoulder. "Saki, I'm sorry… I had no idea…"

Saki was breathing heavily through gritted teeth. After a second, she stood up with her fists clenched. "DON'T YOU DARE MENTION THAT!" she exploded. She pointed an infuriated finger at Maria as she started marching over. "YOU HAVE NO GODDAMN IDEA WHAT YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT! NO IDEA WHAT YOU'RE MESSING WITH! THIS IS WAY BEYOND YOU! YOU MAY THINK YOU UNDERSTAND IT, BUT I GUARANTEE YOU SURE AS HELL DON'T!"

Ai quickly rushed forward and grabbed her by the arm. "Saki, calm down! She was only trying to help!"

"LIKE I'D WANT HELP FROM SOMEONE WHO'D GO BEHIND MY BACK LIKE THAT! I WOULDN'T TAKE A MILLION-YEN NOTE FROM SOMEONE LIKE HER!"

Junko grabbed her other arm and attempted to pull her backwards. "She had your best interests at heart, Saki! She meant-"

"YEAH, WELL, I'M NOT INTERESTED IN WHAT SHE HAD AT HEART! HER HEART'S PROBABLY DEADER AND COLDER THAN MINE!"

"Please stop!" Lily pleaded, pulling on her arm with Junko. "Maria-chan is your friend! She's our friend! She wouldn't try to hurt you on purpose!"

"FRIEND?! WHAT KIND OF FRIEND…" With her three sisters holding her back, she had a moment to stare into the eyes of the girl before her, who was crying so hard she couldn't breathe. _Damn it… I'm losing my temper…_ She took a second to calm herself down and dropped her arms to her sides. "What kind of friend goes behind their back and digs up their past?" She paused for a long moment then said one last thing: "You said Reiko was a traitor…" She paused and took a moment to wipe one of her eyes, which had started tearing up. "But I think you better look in the damn mirror." She turned around, pulled out her key, sat down on her bike, turned it on, and twisted back on her throttle. The bike carried her up the hill onto the main road, leaving five stunned girls in the dust. She felt the tears of betrayal get blown off her face in the wind. _Damn it, Maria… I thought I could trust you…_

* * *

Sakura watched the bike disappear over the horizon in silence. _Saki-chan…_

As soon as Saki was out of sight, Maria fell to her knees, bent over, and screamed a guttural, pained cry. It was long, it was loud, it was painful. In one long scream, she expressed her loss, her heartbreak, her regret, her fear. Her whole body trembled as the shriek exited her body and when she was done, she was left on the ground, empty inside, sobbing with small, quick breaths.

Sakura immediately knelt down next to her and put a hand on her back gently. Her arm had a hole in it at the elbow, she noticed, but that didn't matter at the moment. What mattered right now was making sure Maria was okay. She had to be there for her in her hour of need. She closed her eyes and felt the girl weep. _Poor Maria-chan…_

The three girls in front of them shot a few quick glances at each other, whispered a few things, then knelt down beside her as well. Ai started gently rubbing her back. "It's okay, Maria. She's just upset right now. She won't be mad at you forever."

"She didn't really mean all that," Lily assured her. "Saki-chan doesn't mean what she says when she's mad."

Sakura looked up at the three before her questioningly. "Aren't you mad, too? I mean, she got us all thrown in the back of that police van…"

"But she had a good reason to break into the hospital," Junko retorted. "And, while she may have made some questionable decisions, in the end, she didn't intend to hurt anyone. We can't hold what came as a result against her. There's no way she could have known that such a thing would happen. The only reason Saki is mad is because she likely thinks Maria wronged her."

"Oh…"

"Is she wrong, though?" Ai pointed out. "You went behind her back and dug up her past. That's a total invasion of privacy."

Maria trembled with guilt. "I'm sorry…" she moaned.

Lily leaned over and wrapped her arms around her shoulders. "It's okay, Maria-chan… She might be pretty mad at you right now, but I think that she still really wants to be friends with you. You make her really happy and she really likes you."

"It could have been worse," Junko added. "Imagine if we weren't here to stop her from attacking you."

The three other zombies sighed uncomfortably at the thought. After a brief period of silence, Sakura spoke up. "So… um… what do we do now?"

"We should probably give her some time to cool down," Ai said. "After that, we should get the bribe paid with the police, and then… well…" She shot a quick glance at Junko and Lily and bit her lip. "Guys, can we talk for a second? Alone?"

Lily pushed herself back up and scooted across the grass over to where she was sitting. "About what?"

She glanced over her shoulder at Sakura and Maria then stood up. "Over here." She walked over to her bike and beckoned for the two to follow her.

Lily and Junko stood up and made their way over to her. They started listening to Ai's hushed concerns.

Maria looked up from the ground, interested in what they were talking about. Her breathing was still scattered and heavy, but she had stopped producing tears by this point. Her face was red, aside from her cheek which was bruising into a nice purple, and her eyes were swollen. She sniffled, looked back down at the ground, and lay there. She curled into the fetal position and clenched her eyes shut wordlessly.

Sakura leaned over and gently caressed her cheek in a show of sympathy. She sighed. "I'm sorry, Maria-chan. Maybe if I'd done a better job stopping you from breaking in, we wouldn't be in this mess…"

She whimpered beneath her hand.

"But… I think Saki-chan will come around. She said I was the worst person she'd ever met, remember? And now we're on the same team. I think, if you really show her that you've changed for the better like I did, she'll give you a second chance like she did me."

This seemed to help a lot, as her breathing slowly stabilized. She was by no means calmed down, but she was doing better than before.

"B-but what if she gets upset with us the same way she got upset with Maria?!" Junko protested suddenly. Her hands flew over her mouth as she realized she said that WAY too loud.

Sakura and Maria looked up at her for a second. "Is everything okay, Junko-chan?" Sakura questioned.

"We're fine," Ai replied for her. She turned to Junko and started reassuring her quietly.

 _I wonder what they're talking about… Saki-chan, probably._ She looked back down and continued comforting Maria, this time by brushing her hair with her fingers. After a minute or so of brushing, she looked up to see Ai hugging Junko and Lily. _Aw, they're all so cute…_

The hug broke up and Junko and Lily nodded. They hurried over to their bikes, turned them on, and drove up the hill back into the street. They each rode the direction Saki had ridden in and soon disappeared from sight.

Ai turned around and walked back over to the two on the ground. She took a seat on the opposite side of the girl Sakura was seated and pulled her knees into her chest. "Maria… you said your goal was to help Saki, right?"

She nodded. "Mmhmm…"

She looked down at her. "Honestly, I doubt she'll let you help her directly at this point… but Junko, Lily, and I were talking and we were wondering if you'd help us help her by telling us what you know about her dad."

Her eyes lit up with opportunity and she sat up. "For real?" she choked.

She nodded slowly. "Well, we talked it over, and we ultimately decided that we need to do whatever it takes to help her. Even if that means learning what happened to her from you instead of her."

A small smile spread across her face and she wiped her eyes clean. "I'll tell you anything."

She nodded thoughtfully. "Good. But let's not do it here." She rose to her feet and pulled her key out her pocket. "Has your mom heard what happened to her yet?"

"What? No…" She pushed herself up to her feet.

She looked over her shoulder at her. "She deserves to know, don't you think?"

"I guess so, yeah…" She pulled her key out of her pocket, taking note of the handcuff still attached to her wrist. She took the dangling cuff and attached it to the same arm to keep it from swinging around annoyingly. It was still a bother, but it would do for now.

"Then you can tell both of us at the same time." She sat down on her bike and turned it on. She held her left hand up over her head, watched the two girls behind her start their engines, then sped back up onto the road.

Sakura followed Maria and Ai back into Karatsu. While she was thankful to seemingly have gotten off the hook with a slap on the wrist, she couldn't help but feel bad for Maria. _I hope everything turns out okay for them…_


	130. The Mourning

Maria stuck her key into the keyhole, turned, and pushed the door open at the same time. She stepped into her home's genkan and gestured to the step up differentiating the genkan from the hallway. "Take off your boots. Mom should be home right now."

Sakura and Ai followed her in, took off their glasses, and sat down on the step. "Your house is really nice, Maria-chan…" Sakura observed as she started untying her first boot.

She shrugged as she closed the door behind her. "I guess so, yeah."

"Maria? Is that you?" a voice called from upstairs.

"Yeah, it's me!" she replied, taking a seat to remove her boots. "Bandages and Blackout are here, too!"

There was a short pause before her mother called back. "Who?"

"Bandages and Blackout!"

"Who's Blackout?"

"Another zombie! Come downstairs!"

"Okay! I'll be down in a minute!" There was the sound of a door closing upstairs then the woman appeared at the top of the staircase. She made her way down the stairs and stopped once she had nearly reached the bottom. She flinched briefly at the sight of the purple-and-red-haired zombie, who had turned around at the sound of her coming downstairs.

Sakura extended one of her hands to the woman behind her. "Hi, my name's Sakura Minamoto. I'm one of Maria-chan's friends."

She shook off her shock, stepped down the rest of the stairs, took her hand, and gave a warm smile. "Reiko Amabuki. It's nice to-" Suddenly, her face twisted into one of confusion and she released her hand. "Wait, did you say Sakura? Are you the girl who was trying to force them into being idols?"

Her face turned into a guilty smile and she scratched her chin. "Well… I was, yeah… But I'm better now."

She shot a skeptical glance at Ai.

"Sakura is good," she assured her. "She apologized and made up for what she did last week. Now she's in Dorami, too. She's actually really nice once you get to know her."

Sakura blushed and looked to the side in embarrassment. _Aw, Ai-chan…_

Reiko smiled. "Oh, okay. Well, it's nice to meet you, Sakura. What brings you all-" She stopped immediately as she noticed the handcuffs on Maria's right wrist. "Maria, why are you handcuffed?! What happened?!"

She hesitated for a long moment before turning around and looking up at her mother with red, puffy eyes. "I screwed up…"

Her eyebrows shot up. "Have you been crying? Your cheek is bruising…!" She knelt down next to her and placed a gentle hand on her back. "Maria… what happened?"

She wrapped her arms around her and pressed her face into her shoulder. "I made Saki hate me…"

"What…?" She shot a questioning glance at Ai.

"We can explain." She pulled off her boots and set them down beside her. "We actually came here to tell you about it."

Her face turned to one of concern. "How bad is it?"

She patted her on the shoulder and stood up. "Let's get some tea going first. There's a lot to cover."

* * *

Saki didn't have a go-to spot to mourn her losses. Sure, she mourned on occasion, but she never really chose the same spot. She didn't do it often enough to necessitate having one. So the place she chose was not out of nostalgia or familiarity, but rather how comfortable and isolated it was.

It was the underside of a bridge far to the south of the one she had just driven away from. A bridge across the Matsuura river, just like every other bridge in this city, but much, much, taller. There was a perch, a small gap between the top of the pillar and the bottom of the bridge, where a zombie could surely climb and take a seat.

Saki sat on this perch staring out into the river silently, taking it all in. Maria, she thought, was a perfect replacement of the best friend she lost; the best friend who had her back at every turn; the best friend who she had spent all her time with doing whatever the hell they wanted; the best friend who she loved, cared about, and trusted with her life. As it turned out, she was wrong.

Maria had betrayed her trust. She'd gone behind her back and found out the one thing she didn't let anyone know. Why, though? To help her like she said? Did she care about her, too? It seemed like damn near everyone did these days. At this point, it wouldn't be much of a surprise if she did.

Saki sighed and laid down with her hands behind her head. She stared up at the bottom of the bridge silently, picturing her lost best friends.

"I don't want my kids to end up like this," Reiko had once told her.

 _End up like what? Like you? Well, I got good news for ya. I could trust you._ She gritted her teeth and wiped her eyes, which were still somehow forming tears. _Damn it, Maria… why? I trusted you… Why'd you have to go and do it? You were perfect…_ She put both hands over her face and dragged downwards. _Maybe I should just forget about it and act like it never happened._ She paused for a second then her face lit up. _Or, even better, forget her!_ She sat up, suddenly filled with a new enthusiasm. _Hell yeah! I don't need her just like I don't need Reiko!_ She grinned from ear to ear, excited for what the future held for Saki alone. Then, slowly, she was reminded of what things were like the last time she was alone. The last time she was missing her best friend. She remembered that longing, that need to have what she and Reiko did. Her grin turned to a sad pout as she came to a realization. _I need her… no one else is even close to what Reiko was._

Maria, though impulsive, was aggressive, confident, and scary; all the elements of a good leader. She was competitive, funny, and mischievous; all the elements of a good friend. But most of all, she had guts. Guts that were close to almost somewhat rivaling her own. More than the rest of the group, for that matter. She was a great replacement for Reiko. She even had the genetics to prove it.

She leaned over and crossed her arms, using her elbows as supports to prop herself up on her knees. _I don't wanna hate you…_ She felt more tears fall from her eyes onto her knees. _I don't wanna hate you, Maria… But you dug up my past. I wanna forgive you, Maria… But this is more than just any secret._ She had a new internal struggle; a fight within herself over whether to forgive her or to forget her. It was almost like two separate people having an argument.

 _I wanna look past this._

 _But this is way too big to just shrug off._

 _I wanna go back to what we had before._

 _But you went too far._

 _I don't wanna hate you, Maria._

 _But I have to._

She gritted her teeth and put her head in her hands. _WHY?! IT'S NOT EVEN THAT BIG A DEAL! SHE KNOWS! WHO CARES?! WHY IS THAT EVEN A PROBLEM FOR ME?!_

 _This is something I can't just shrug off. This is my biggest regret we're talking about._

 _SO?! WHAT DOES IT FUCKING MATTER?! SHE'D GLADLY TELL ME HERS! WHY'S THIS SO BAD?! WHY IS HER KNOWING MINE SUCH A BIG DEAL?! WHY… Why don't I want people to know?_

 _It doesn't matter why. What matters is that she found out.  
_

 _But she APOLOGIZED for it! She was CRYING! She obviously feels bad for doing it!_

 _That doesn't matter. She still did it. I feel bad about what I did to mom, but that doesn't mean it's okay._

 _But that's different! God, why don't I just tell her I'm sorry for yelling at her and move on?_

 _Because that's wrong._

 _Is it really wrong or do I just think it's wrong?_

 _It doesn't matter._

Saki laid back on the pillar and moaned in distress. "Damn it… What the hell is wrong with me?" Tears streamed down the sides of her face and she punched the ground beside her. _Why am I like this? Why can't I just be normal?_ She rolled over and pulled her knees into her chest. _Why?_

* * *

The three girls were seated at the Amabuki kitchen table, silently watching Reiko prepare their tea. Maria sat alone on one side while Ai and Sakura sat on the other.

"So, Sakura, why don't you tell me about yourself?" Reiko suggested as she reached into her kitchen cupboards and produced four small mugs. "You wanted to be an idol?"

"Huh? W-well, yeah… but that didn't really work out. I actually had amnesia when I did that…"

She turned to her with a raised eyebrow. "Amnesia? Really?"

"Well, I died when I was hit by a truck ten years ago…" She pointed to the large scar on her forehead. "So my head got a little wonky. I wasn't really thinking straight. But then Saki-chan threw me in front of ANOTHER truck and I remembered everything and got better."

She chuckled as she poured tea into each mug. "That sounds like something she would do. I'm glad it worked out for you."

She smiled. "Thank you!"

Once she was done pouring out the tea, she picked up two mugs and set one down on either side of the table before Maria and Sakura. Then she returned to the counter, picked up two more, and returned to the table next to Maria. She handed one to Ai and took a sip from her own. "So, what happened that you want to tell me about?"

Sakura looked across the table at Maria. "Do you want me to tell her or should I?"

"You do it."

"Okay." She looked back at Reiko. "On Monday, Maria-chan and I broke into a hospital."

The woman's eyes shot open and she just about choked on her tea. After a second, she turned to her daughter beside her, wide-eyed. "You did?!"

She looked down and rubbed her arm. "Yeah…"

"W-what?! But why would you do such a thing?!" She gasped. "Is that why you have the handcuffs?! Are the police after you right now?!"

Ai extended a hand across the table. "Reiko, calm down. Everything is under control. There's no need to panic."

She glanced at her for a second then took a deep breath. "Maria, why did you break into a hospital?"

"To find out what happened to Saki."

Though she was preparing to ask her next question, she stopped. Her eyebrows quivered and she asked a different one. "What do you mean?"

"Her trauma," Sakura clarified. "We know what it is."

Her eyes shot to the zombie diagonally across from her. Slowly, she reached across the table and held her hand in her own. "Please, tell me."

"E-eh?" She was taken aback by the woman's sudden softness.

"I want her back. I miss her. I miss her so much. But she doesn't understand that. I need her to understand. I need to know why she doesn't understand."

 _Reiko-san…_ She slowly nodded and took a deep breath. "Well, we only know what made it into newspapers, but it's pretty obvious that her dad abused her for pretty much her whole life…"

She gritted her teeth and inhaled sharply. "I should have known it was him…" she muttered under her breath.

Maria blinked and glanced toward her mom silently.

"She was apparently an accident," Sakura continued, "and her dad was an alcoholic. And they were super poor. They had a little tiny apartment in Imari and she slept in a closet."

Ai listened silently. She seemed uncomfortable.

"He had a lot of different, um, outbursts… the articles listed a lot of different instances of domestic abuse he did. He always got drunk and then he would take out his anger on his wife and Saki-chan. So, then, one day, Saki-chan's mom had enough and she decided to hide his beer. And he didn't take it super well. He ended up stealing a gun from a police officer and murdering her in front of Saki-chan. That's why she ran away."

Reiko gasped and brought a hand to her mouth. "Saki…"

"I know… It's really sad." Though Sakura felt bad for her friend, she handled knowing about it very well. Her own life wasn't too great, either, so she was fairly used to terrible childhoods leading to mental health issues.

After a minute, the woman recomposed herself and nodded. "Please continue."

"Anyway, after he murdered his wife, he went to jail. And then a couple years later, he got cleared to attend Saki-chan's funeral, but never came back. The officer who escorted him to the funeral said he disappeared sometime between the ceremony and the cremation and then they found his body in the woods a few days later."

"Right. I knew that much. Is there anything else?"

Maria gave her another look, this time more concerned.

"No, that's it. We got sent a lot of articles, but most of them just repeated what other ones said…"

"I understand." She picked up her mug and took another long sip. "So her father did this to her." She turned to Maria. "And she's upset with you because you went behind her back to find out."

She looked back down at the table. "Yeah…"

She sighed. "Maria… why would you do something so impulsive?"

"I wanted to help her… The dude who gave us that info was in the hospital."

"You always rush into these things without thinking… Did you even consider how she would feel about this?"

"Not really…"

"You really need to start thinking more before you do these kinds of things… Why did you have to break in?"

Ai and Sakura shot each other an awkward look. Watching your friend get lectured by their parents right in front of you is a universally uncomfortable experience.

"We didn't, really…"

"Then why did you?"

"Because Blackout scared the receptionist and security was coming and I wanted to help her as soon as possible…"

She let out a sigh and wrapped her arm around her daughter lovingly. "Listen, Maria, I love that you care about your friends enough that you would break into a hospital for them. I really do. But you have to think about the consequences of your actions before you act on them. Something as big as breaking into a hospital can have major consequences."

"I know… I didn't think this through at all… And it didn't even help at all… I still don't know how to help her…"

"I might," Ai interjected.

The group turned to her, wide-eyed. "Really?" Maria beamed.

"Well, I have an idea, but it's not exactly the kind of help she's expecting." She brought a hand to her chin. "I wonder if she'd agree to it…"

Reiko's eyebrows lowered as her eyes came across the hole in her throat. "What's that on your neck?"

"Hm?" She turned her eyes down as if she could see what was down there. "Oh, I got shot. The police caught up with us earlier."

Her eyes bulged open. "WHAT?!" She turned to Maria. "Are you okay?! You didn't get shot, did you?!"

"I'm fine," she replied. "I didn't put up a fight."

She brought a hand to her chest and let out a relieved sigh. "Oh, Maria…" After a second, she looked up at Ai. "Are you okay?"

"I'm completely fine. I'm a zombie. This will grow back by the end of the week."

She raised her eyebrows. "I didn't know you could do that."

She shrugged. "Our bodies are weird." She paused for a moment. "Where were we?"

"The police caught up with you."

"Right, the sting. They were after us for the hospital break-in. They had officers everywhere pointing guns at us so we immediately surrendered."

"Well, Saki-chan took a hostage first, but he got away," Sakura added.

"Right. Anyways, after we surrendered, we were all thrown in the back of a police van. All of us except Maria. They said they were going to turn us over to the government."

Reiko's eyebrows shot up. "How did you get out of that one?"

"Well, you know how zombies are normally portrayed in movies and TV as mindless killing machines with superhuman strength? If our brain activity drops low enough, we revert to that state temporarily."

Her jaw dropped. "Really?"

"Yeah. We don't really remember what happened next, but when we woke up, we were outside the van and most of the police were unconscious. We'd also been shot several times. From there, we broke Maria out of the police car she was in and rode away."

She set her hands down together on the table and nodded thoughtfully. "So you escaped from police custody… That explains the handcuffs. Why did you only take off one of Maria's?"

Sakura sighed. "Saki-chan has the keys and she ran off when she found out about… that. She undid one so that she could drive to escape, but never undid the other one."

She paused for a long moment, thinking intently. She turned to Maria. "Have you bribed the police yet?"

"Huh?"

"You escaped from police custody, Maria. If you bribe them, they'll drop the charges."

"W-well, yeah, I know that… It's just weird that you're telling me to bribe the cops. I thought you didn't like Dorami."

She nodded. "I would prefer if you weren't a part of it. But right now, that doesn't matter. What's done is done and now the police are after you. Regardless of whether or not you're in Dorami, I don't want you to go to prison. There are some gang activities that I consider… necessary."

"Oh."

"But enough about the sting. Ai, what are your plans to help her?"

* * *

Saki counted her bullet wounds wordlessly. _One, two, three, four, five, six._ She had taken six shots in that fight. Six shots.

"You're stronger than he'll ever give you credit for," she used to tell her. Back when she was alive. Back before she let her die. Back before she, too, took six shots.

She remembered the face so clearly in that moment, that dying expression of horror. The last look she ever got at her that was burned into her mind. She shuddered and shook the thought out of her head. _I'm thinking about it again… Don't think about it, don't think about it, don't-_

"The more you think about it, the more comfortable you'll be talking about it."

The words of her sister suddenly bounced around in her mind as she tried to force out the picture of her mother. She stopped, opened her eyes again, and looked out into the river once more. _I'm… still running away from him. Every time I tell myself not to think about it… I'm just running away._ More tears started streaming down her face. _I'm still just as weak now as I was then…_

"You're stronger than he'll ever give you credit for."

She wanted to believe her, she really did, but how could she? She had a moment to act, to do something, and she didn't. She'd stood up for her before; it wasn't a matter of breaking the mold. She just didn't do it that time. She just wasn't strong enough to do it when it mattered. She couldn't protect her. She proved the old man right.

What would he think of her now? Twenty-four years later and she was still just as weak as she was when he last saw her. He'd probably tell it to her straight; he'd lecture her on how weak she was, how she didn't deserve to be loved, and how she always was a waste of a daughter. And he'd do it all with a beer in his hand.

Saki moaned and put her head in her hands. _Damn it… What have I done to prove him wrong? Nothing. I haven't done ANYTHING._ She felt tears flowing through the bullet hole in her hand and gritted her teeth. She removed her hands from her face and pounded against the concrete pillar she was sitting on. "GOD DAMN IT!" she shouted to no one in particular. _How the hell did I let it end up like this? Why couldn't I have done something, damn it? Why? WHY?!_ "NGAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHH!" she roared in anger. She turned to the side, crossed her legs, and started punching the ground in front of her. "GOD DAMN IT, GOD DAMN IT, GOD DAMN IT!" she cried, throwing a flurry of punches into the concrete pillar. After a minute, she looked down at her hands to find that the fabric of the fingerless gloves had all but disappeared over her knuckles and she had torn into her green flesh with how hard she was punching. Bone was visible over several knuckles. She knew, regardless of how hard she punched, she couldn't bring her back. Not even as a zombie. She didn't know where her remains were, and even if she did, it's not like she could just bite the ashes and a person would grow from them. She didn't know how it worked, but it sure as hell wasn't like that. She was gone and there was nothing she could do about it. She wasn't strong enough that night. She'd proved the old man right.

There was a slight buzz to the right. It started growing louder and louder.

She leaned over and looked out the other side of her perch to see two red bikes headed in her direction. She recognized the figures on them as Junko and Lily. _Crap! I can't let them see me like this!_ She looked back toward the river, made a split-second decision, then jumped.

* * *

"So that's the plan I have so far," Ai concluded. "What do you think?"

Reiko nodded thoughtfully. "It could work. The only issue I see with it is pitching the idea to her."

She took a sip from her tea and brought a hand to her chin. "That's what I was thinking, too. I barely got through to her last night. This could be bad if we don't do it right."

"Um, Reiko-san," Sakura asked, "you know her really well, right? How would you do it?"

She paused for a moment, thinking deeply. "The best way to do it, in my opinion, would be to get her to agree to it before she knew what it was. Tell her it's a surprise. She'll agree to a sur-"

Ai suddenly raised her arms and gasped. "Oh!" She looked down at her stomach and grimaced.

The group collectively looked over at her. "What is it, Ai-chan?" Sakura asked.

She brought her hands down to her gut. "I got shot in the stomach and the tea is leaking out." She quickly stood up with both hands over the hole where the tea was coming from. "Reiko, where's the nearest bathroom?"

She pointed to a door at the end of the room. "Down the hall, first door on the left."

"Thanks!" She quickly rushed out the door, drops of tea dripping onto the floor with every step.

Reiko stared at the door for a moment then turned to Sakura. "Have you been shot anywhere important?"

"Um… I got shot in the side of the head, but I don't know that it really did anything. I don't feel any different."

She raised an eyebrow. "The side of the head? You mean through the brain?"

"Yeah…" She brought a hand up and gestured to the general area of the hole. "Right here. It goes straight through to the other side."

She shook her head and took a long sip of her tea. "You zombies sure are resilient."

"I guess so, yeah." She picked up her mug and drank some of her tea. _Mmm! This is good!_

The two drank their tea together in a brief moment of silence while Maria simply stared down at the table. Once Reiko put down her mug, Maria spoke up. "Hey, mom?"

She turned to her with a motherly smile. "What is it, Maria?"

"When Blackout was explaining all the crap with Saki's dad, you… well…" She paused for a second then looked up at her. "Did you meet her dad at the funeral?"

The smile fell from her face as she stared at her. Then she turned and looked down at the tea in her hands. "Yes. I did."

Sakura looked at her over her mug. _Reiko-san knew about Saki-chan's dad?_

Maria shot a quick glance at Sakura then looked back at her mother. "…Do you know how he died?"

She didn't reply. She just kept staring down into her tea's dark abyss.

"Mom?"

"Murder. He was murdered."

Both other girls at the table gasped and shot each other a glance. Then Maria leaned forward and asked a simple question: "By who?"

Yet again, she didn't reply. Instead, she closed her eyes and took a deep breath.

Her eyes widened and her jaw dropped. "Mom, did you-"

"He was terrible," she rasped. "He showed up to the service and tore into her. Didn't say one good thing about her. He called her a waste of life, not worthy of a funeral. He told us we were wrong for thinking so highly of her. He said he was glad she was gone." She gritted her teeth and paused for a moment before putting back on her motherly expression and turning to Maria. "Now, Maria, I want you to know that murder is NEVER okay. What I did when I was younger was wrong and I shouldn't have done it."

The girl was staring at her, stunned at what she was hearing. "Y-you killed someone…?"

She looked back down at the table. "I was young. Losing her… it made me impulsive. I was still mourning and I couldn't handle hearing what he had to say about her. None of us could." She took a deep breath. "So… seven of us… We bribed the officer guarding him and took him out back. And then…" She paused for a long moment before finishing her statement. "We beat him to death."

Maria's mouth was hanging wide open. "Holy crap…"

She turned to her daughter and put her hands on her shoulders. "Listen, Maria. The things I did when I was younger were reckless, dark, and brutal. I shouldn't be an example for you. I never want you to do what I did."

She slowly nodded. "Yeah… I won't."

She breathed a sigh of relief then turned back to her tea. "You're a good girl, Maria. Saki is lucky to have someone like you."

Sakura stared at the two across from her in awe. _Reiko-san… Maria-chan…_

Suddenly, the door at the end of the room swung open and Ai walked back in. She was on the phone. "Well, if her bike is there, she can't be that far. We're on our way."

Maria perked up and leaned across the table to get a good look at her. "Did they find her?"

She held up a finger for a second and silently listened to the other line. Then she blushed brightly and turned away from the group. "Love you too," she whispered. "Bye." She flipped her phone shut and turned back around. "Maria, Sakura, let's get going. Maria, bring all the money you have."

She nodded. "Right!" She quickly stood up and ran out of the room.

She walked over to Reiko. "Thanks for your input. We'll take good care of her."

"I hope for her sake that this works."

"Me, too."


	131. The River Girl

The three girls sped south, keeping their eyes open for the three Dorami bikes parked at the base of one of the bridges. They had already flown by several at this point without bikes and Maria was getting visibly nervous. Though she kept her eyes on the road and kept her speed up, she kept drifting between lanes and was driving erratically.

 _I wonder if she's afraid to face Saki-chan again…_ Sakura thought silently. She looked ahead to a bridge in the distance and gasped as she saw three red bikes next to its pillar. She pointed ahead. "Over there!" she exclaimed, looking over her shoulder at the human next to her.

Maria bit her lip and sped up, quickly passing the girl beside her. She ran her bike off the road toward the other three and skidded to a stop.

Ai pulled up next to Sakura and gave her an awkward glance before pulling on her brakes and drifting into the grass. She made a nice streak of mud from her tires to the road and turned off her bike, soon followed by Sakura. Then she walked toward the three bikes that were already present. "Junko! Lily!"

"Up here!" Junko called.

The three girls looked up to see the two of them seated side-by-side in a small perch between the top of the pillar and the bottom of the bridge. "What are you doing up there?!" Ai yelled up.

"We found something!" Lily replied. "Come look!"

She shot a quick glance at the two girls next to her then took a step back and jumped up. Her fingers latched onto the bottom of the pillar and she pulled herself up the rest of the way. Then she winced at the sight of something on top. "What is that?!"

"We think it's some of her skin," Junko explained. "Do you see all the cracks around it? We think she punched the concrete so hard the skin on her hands came off."

"Wait, what?!" Sakura took a running leap up to the top of the pillar and pulled herself up. Sure enough, the concrete before her was cracked and there were several clumps of green, gooey flesh and torn bandages. "Oh no… do you think she's okay?"

"She's not doing great, that's for sure," Ai sighed. She squatted down and brought a hand to her chin. "She was definitely here, though."

"She couldn't have gone that far," stated Junko. "I was thinking maybe we could spread out and look for her."

She nodded. "That sounds like a good idea." She looked over her shoulder. "Sakura, you and Maria start searching the area. I'll explain to Junko and Lily how we're going to help her and then we'll join in."

"Right!" She stepped off the pillar and fell two stories to the ground. She turned to Maria, who was still seated on her bike staring at Saki's. "Ai-chan wants us to start looking for her, so let's get started!"

There was no response. She just kept on staring.

She cocked her head. "Maria-chan?"

She snapped back to reality and turned to her. "Huh?! What's up?"

"We're looking for Saki-chan while Ai-chan explains the plan to Lily-chan and Junko-chan."

She squinted. "Do you HAVE to put -chan at the end of everyone's name every single time?"

"E-eh? W-well, I guess not, but I kind of like to…"

She shrugged. "Just seems like a mouthful to say it four times in one damn sentence." She stepped off her bike and slipped her key into her pocket. "Well, whatever. I'm gonna go look for her. You check the river."

"Huh? The river?"

She waved her hand. "Yeah, the river! Zombies can breathe underwater or whatever, so it's better if you do it! I'm gonna check over here!" She started walking in the opposite direction.

 _I don't think we can breathe underwater… We just don't need to breathe._ Nevertheless, she followed her orders and pulled one of her legs into her chest to take off her boot. As she started preparing to enter the water, she caught snippets of the conversation happening above her.

"That's not exactly what I'd call proper therapy," Junko pointed out. "What if it doesn't work?"

"Then we'll try something else," Ai replied. "But this is our best chance and I don't see why it wouldn't. But if we want it to work, we'll all have to commit."

"I will!" Lily announced.

"I know you will. That was more toward Junko."

There was a short pause before Junko spoke again. "I suppose this could be a good thing for me, too…"

"It can be if you let it. Are you in?"

"…I'm in. Tell me the details."

After a moment, Sakura had finished taking off her boots, socks, and her jacket, so she stopped listening in on their conversation. She walked toward the water confidently, but stopped once she remembered one last thing. _Whoops, almost forgot!_ She pulled her phone out of her pocket, walked back over to her boots, and slipped it inside one of them. _Okay, now I'm ready!_ She ran back toward the water and turned to the girls on the perch. "I'm gonna check the river!" she yelled. "I'll let you know if I find anything!"

"Okay!" Ai replied.

She turned around and jumped straight into the river, making sure to take a deep breath of air with her as she went. She submerged underwater and looked around. The water wasn't murky, per se, but it was not the kind of water you could see for miles in, so she would have to do a manual search. She pushed her arms through the water and propelled herself using her feet, soon coming upon the first pillar extending to the bottom of the stream. She stopped herself and had a quick look around its base, finding nothing of interest, so she swam to the right and made her way around the pillar. Once at the other side, she looked to the left and her eyes shot open as they came across a girl sitting on the ground with her head in her hands. "Saki-chan?!"

"GUEHH!" Saki exclaimed in shock. Or, at least, she tried to. Her lungs were full of water, so no sound actually came out. She turned her head toward her, wide-eyed, before mouthing something angrily to herself and putting her hands on either side of her head. She seemed to be in much distress.

She blinked. "Sorry, I can't read lips… Are you okay?"

She rolled her eyes and flicked her hand at her, signaling for her to leave her alone.

"Saki-chan…" The girl swam around the pillar and took a seat beside her. With every word, bubbles of air escaped her throat and rose to the surface. "Are you still upset about Maria-chan going behind your back?"

She mouthed something back defensively.

Sakura watched the girl try and fail to communicate. "Um, let's see…" She brought a hand to her chin and started thinking about what she could be trying to say. "Are you trying to tell me I shouldn't care?"

She nodded aggressively.

"Oh." She looked down for a second then let herself float off the bottom of the river. "Excuse me for a second." She swam up to the surface and stuck her head out of the water, taking a deep breath as she did so. Then she swam to the side so she could see the perch where Saki's three sisters were seated. "Ai-chan! Junko-chan! Lily-chan! I found her!"

* * *

Saki watched the girl float on the surface of the water and frowned. _What the hell is she doing? Getting more air?_ She looked back forward and crossed her arms. _Maybe I should get outta here while she's up there._ She pushed herself off the ground and gently floated to her feet. _I should have picked a better spot._ She turned and slowly started walking away with her fists clenched.

After a moment, Sakura dove back under the surface and looked to where she was. Seeing that she was in the process of leaving, she quickly swam back over to her in a panic. "Saki-chan! Where are you going?!"

She whipped her head around and scowled at the zombie floating behind her. "Leave me the hell alone!" she mouthed.

She grabbed her by the shoulder and attempted to pulled her back with no effect. "You can't go! Everyone's worried sick about you!"

"I said leave me alone! You wanna die?!" She turned around the rest of the way and swung her fist at Sakura's face. However, as she was underwater, this fist traveled incredibly slowly and was easily deflected. _Damn it._

"Why are you trying to leave so bad?! Don't you want to talk?! Or, at least, don't you want to talk to Junko-chan?!"

She paused for a moment and stared at the girl before her. _I'm… not ready to talk. I still don't know what the hell is wrong with me._ She blinked. _Wait, why Junko?_

Suddenly, there was a muffled splash to the right. Both girls turned to see Junko diving into the water surrounded with a cyclone of bubbles. Her boots, jacket, and socks were missing, just like Sakura's. Once most of the bubbles on her skin had released and risen to the surface, she looked up and beamed at the sight of her sister. "Saki!" She swam toward her with the dexterity of a fish and wrapped her arms around her tightly. "Are you okay?!"

Saki stood there considering her question for a few seconds. _Am I okay?_ She bit her lip. _I don't even know anymore… But… I can't let her see that._ Finally, she nodded. _I'm okay._

She paused for a short moment. "Saki… Please don't lie to me. I can tell you aren't feeling well." She pulled out of the hug, held her hands with her own, and kept eye contact. "I know that this is big for you and I know that you're not used to talking about it. But the way you deal with it right now isn't healthy and it needs to change. Please."

She stared into her eyes for a long time then looked down at their hands. She stared at the bone jutting out of her knuckles, the result of her self-destructive tendencies, and realized she was right. Something had to change. Her eyes drifted up to hers. "I'm not feelin' so great," she mouthed.

The girl across from her nodded gently and looked over to the girl floating beside them. "Sakura-san, could you excuse us for a few minutes?" she asked, using up the rest of the air in her lungs.

"Huh? Um, sure!" She turned and started swimming back toward the shore from whence she had came.

Junko watched the girl disappear into the blue-green depths of the river then turned her gaze back to Saki. "Let's go sit down," she mouthed. She led her back over to the pillar and took a seat on the river floor with her back to the concrete.

Saki sat down next to her and looked over at her. After a brief period of silence, she rubbed the back of her neck uncomfortably. "So… uhh… I guess I should start…" She paused and looked into her sister's eyes. "Do you know?"

She nodded silently. "I know."

For some reason, she wasn't as bothered by this as she was knowing that Maria and Sakura knew. It still bothered her, though. She looked down. "I didn't want you to."

Junko reached a hand over and manually tilted her head back up. "Could you repeat that? I couldn't read it."

 _Oh, right. Lip reading._ "I didn't want you to."

"Why not?"

"I… don't know. I've been trying to figure that out. I've been trying to figure a lot of stuff out."

"Like what?"

She ran a hand through her hair. "Man, I don't even know… it's too much crap to handle." She attempted to sigh. "I guess I didn't want you to see how weak I was."

She blinked and leaned forward. "I don't think I understand. You think you're weak?" She placed a hand on her knee and stared deep into her eyes. "Saki, you are the strongest, bravest, most resilient person I've ever met. You're not weak."

"I am weak," she denied. "What I did that night… proves it."

"What do you mean? What did you do?"

Her eyebrows quivered. "Whaddya mean, 'what did you do'? I let my mom die! I just sat there and watched! I didn't do ANYTHING!" With that statement, she clenched her eyes shut and attempted to throw a fist into the ground. With the water, though, her hand merely dug into it at a leisurely pace.

Her eyes widened and she reached up and held her by the chin, prompting her to open her eyes and read her lips. "You blame yourself for your mother's death?"

"I mean, I had a chance to do something! I had a chance to stop him! But I didn't! I just stood there and watched! And then when it was done…" She brought her hand up to the side of her head and dug her nails into her temple. "I just left…"

Junko reached over and forced her hand away from her head. "You can't blame yourself for not taking him down. He had a gun. I likely would have done the same thing."

She shook her head. "I proved him right that night, Junko… I proved him right." She hung her head and pulled her knees into her chest. Were she not underwater, tears would likely be forming at the corners of her eyes right about now.

Unable to say any more to her, she scooted over and wrapped her arms around her sister tightly once more. This time, she felt her return the favor and squeeze back. After a few seconds, the two's dead hearts started to beat in perfect sync.

Saki took a deep breath of water. She didn't know why, but holding her sister so close like this was incredibly comforting. More comforting than punching away her troubles, for that matter. She almost felt like she wasn't alone in her struggle. A small smile spread across her face. _Damn… this feels good._

The hug held for a minute or so before the two broke apart so they could talk again. "We know how to help you. But it's not the kind of help you're expecting."

She raised an eyebrow. "What's that supposed to mean? What is it?"

"I don't know all the details yet. I jumped in here before Ai was done explaining." She paused for a moment then asked one last question. "Do you think you're ready to go back out there?"

She stared at her for a moment, silently thinking. _A kind of help I'm not expecting… I wanna figure out what the hell that means._ She nodded. "I'm ready."

"Good." She stood up and extended a hand toward her. "Shall we?"

She took her hand and let her pull her up. Then she started walking toward the shore where Sakura had gone with her sister beside her. She looked up to the surface, which was inching nearer to her head, and prepared herself to face her crew once again. As her head passed through the barrier, though, all that preparation flew out the window as she was greeted with a fantastic sight.

A small circle of girls had formed around Sakura, who was laying down across the seats of three bikes. Her eyes were clenched shut and her lips were quivering, likely due to the black-and-red-haired girl blowing air into the side of her head with all her might. With each breath that passed through the hole in her head, she shuddered and clenched the seat of the bike her head was on more and more tightly.

After a moment, Ai took a quick breather and stood back up at her full height. "Is it out yet?"

"No…" she whimpered. "I can still feel it…"

Saki and Junko stepped up onto the grass, seemingly undetected by the four girls before them. Saki could feel water leaking out the five holes in her chest, freeing up room in her lungs for air. She took her first breath of real air in what felt like forever and spoke. "The hell's going on here?"

The group turned to her, wide-eyed. Lily gasped. "Saki-chan!" She immediately ran over and tackled her in a hug. She landed on the girl's lungs, sending a torrent of water flying out her mouth and making a rainbow of mist. "You're okay!"

Saki coughed as all the water was pushed out of her in less than a second. Once she was done hacking, she took a few deep breaths and let herself go limp. "Damn, that hurt…" she whispered to herself. After a moment, she sat up and smiled at the girl atop her. "How's it hanging, Shrimpy?"

"I'm good!" she grinned. "I'm so glad you're back!"

"Whaddya mean? I was only gone for, like, half an hour!" She gently poked her in the ribs. "Lemme up."

She squealed and reflexively twisted to protect the area she had been poked. "No! That tickles!" She rolled off of her, giggling the whole time.

She chuckled as she rose to her feet and put her hands on her hips. "That tickled that much? I'm gonna abuse the hell outta that." Her gaze turned to Ai. "The hell are you doing to Blackout?"

"She got shot in the head. Now she has water stuck in the hole. Kind of like when you get water stuck in your ear."

She laughed. "Nice going!" Her head turned to Maria and she froze. Her smile fell, but she didn't frown or anything. She just stared at her silently and she stared back. _Maria…_ After a few seconds of awkward staring, she looked back at Ai. "I hear you got some plan to help me prove him wrong."

"Well… sort of. Are you okay?"

She nodded. "Feelin' a lot better."

She stepped around Sakura's head and made her way over to her. "I know this must be hard for you. But, I promise, if you go along with what we have planned, things will get better. Though, I should warn you, it's a bit different from what you're expecting."

"Lemme hear it."

"That's the thing. It's a surprise."

She raised an eyebrow. "A surprise?"

"Yeah!" Lily exclaimed, climbing off the ground and running in front of her. "It's a surprise! We think you're really gonna like it!" She seemed absolutely giddy with excitement.

She stared at the two girls skeptically. "You can't tell me what it is first?"

The child shook her head. "Nope! You just gotta go along with it!"

She paused for a moment then shrugged. "Alright. Surprise me."

Lily threw a fist up in the air in celebration. "YES!" she cheered.

Ai smiled. "Good. Then while you guys go pay off the police, Lily and I will go get your surprise ready." She reached into her pocket and pulled out her phone. "Junko, take my phone. We'll call and tell you when we're ready for her."

 _We're splitting now? But we didn't even finish tribute._ She saw Maria staring at her out the corner of her eye and felt an awkward feeling in her gut. _Oh. Yeah, maybe it's better that we call it a day after that._

Junko held up a finger and shook her head like a dog, sending water flying in all directions. Her hair poofed back up with this motion and she took a moment to smoothen it out using her fingers. Then she took the phone, slipped her jacket back on, and put the phone into her pocket. She walked back over to Ai. "I'll see you back at the house." She leaned forward and pecked her on the cheek.

Ai's face turned a bright pink and she put her face in her hands. "Oh my god, Junko… Not in front of everyone…"

She chuckled and started putting on her boots. "Then where?"

She shook her head. "Not here…"

Lily grabbed her by the arm and dragged her over to their bikes. "Bye, Maria-chan! Bye, Sakura-chan!" she waved. "We'll see you tomorrow!"

"Until then!" Sakura smiled, pounding on the side of her head with her hand.

She sat her sister down on her bike and pulled her hands away from her face. "You know it's not that big a deal, right?"

"That's easy for you to say," she snapped back quietly. "She didn't kiss you."

She paused for a moment then released her hands and skipped back over to Junko. "Hey, Junko-chan!"

"SERIOUSLY?!" Ai shouted.

"I'm just kidding!" she giggled, immediately turning around and hopping onto her bike. She pulled her key out of her pocket and turned on her bike. "Let's go!" She twisted her throttle back and sped off into the distance, followed soon by her sister.

Saki laughed. "Did you see her face? It turned redder than her bike!"

Junko chuckled with her. "Yes, it did."

Sakura suddenly gasped as a small clump of brain water fell to the grass below. "I got it!" She sat up and beamed. "Finally!"

She turned around and gave her a thumbs up. "Alright! Now let's go do a bribe! Who's got the cash?"

"Maria-chan does." She pointed to the girl next to her.

Her eyes turned to the human and quickly darted away. _Crap…_ After a second, she slowly walked toward her, purposefully avoiding eye contact, and held out her hand wordlessly.

Likewise, Maria avoided looking at her and reached into her pocket and produced a fat stack of notes. She placed it in her damp hand and quickly stepped away, eventually taking a seat on her bike.

Junko and Sakura shot each other an awkward look.

Saki turned back around and looked at the three remaining bikes Sakura was currently laying on. "Which one's mine?"

"Um… this one…" She shifted her body so she was only seated on the leftmost one and pointed to the one on the far right.

She sat down on her bike, glanced at Junko, and tilted her head slightly toward her bike. "You coming?"

"Um, yes!" she replied, quickly tying the last knot on her boot and jumping into her seat. "Okay, I'm ready."

"Then let's roll!" She quickly turned on her bike and peeled out, leaving a nice brown streak in the grass behind her. She pulled onto the road and turned around to go north, trailed by the three remaining members of her team. Her eyes shot to Maria in her rear view mirror and she stared for a second before turning her attention back to the road. _Let's get this over with._


	132. The Bribe

Sakai sat at his desk, head in hands, barely listening to the chief of the Fukuoka Police Department giving him an earful. The police van he had borrowed from him was returned in a less than perfect condition and now he had to sit through the man berating him over the phone. That was the least of his worries, though. His sting operation was an absolute failure and had cost Karatsu hundreds of thousands of yen. Not only did he fail to capture any one of his targets, but they also injured eleven officers, two of which were in a critical condition. And now, the girls were back on the streets, fully aware that the police were looking for them and likely much more careful with their work. He'd been too careless; he should have put them in dog cages or something so they couldn't move, he shouldn't have dismissed over half the officers once the zombies had been put into the van, and he definitely should not have underestimated them. He'd be lucky if he ever got to see them again.

Just then, there was a loud commotion outside his office. Some officers shouting orders, one voice yelling something back. A familiar voice. A VERY familiar voice.

His eyebrows shot up and he leaned over to the phone on his desk. "Listen, Koji, something just came up. I've gotta go. Send me the bill and I'll pay you back." He pressed a button on his phone, ending the call, and stood up. He planted both hands on his desk and glared at the door.

Not a moment later, his office's door was kicked open by a black steel-toed boot belonging to a blonde-haired zombie. She let the door spin around on its hinges and crash into the wall then marched in, followed by two other zombies plus Maria Amabuki. "Sakai, right?" she asked with a devious smirk.

He scowled at the sight of the girls he had failed at capturing. "You must be pretty stupid to come here. That is, unless you're turning yourselves in."

"Yeah, we're not doing that," she laughed. "We're here to strike a deal."

Sakai squinted. "I don't make deals with criminals."

"Criminals?" She crossed her arms and flicked her head toward Maria and the red-and-purple-haired zombie. "These two are criminals. I'm just a zombie." She extended her hand. "Saki Nikaido, co-founder of Dorami."

He looked down at her hand and grimaced at both the bony knuckles and the hole through her palm. He looked back up at her blankly. "You ARE a criminal. You broke out of our custody and assaulted eleven officers. Not to mention, you held one of our own hostage."

Her smile fell and she retracted her hand. "Marshmallow, close the door."

The white-and-blue-haired zombie turned around and closed the door, taking care to lock it as she did so. Then she turned to the man behind the desk and frowned. Clearly, this one held a grudge.

Sakai stared at her for a moment then looked back over at Saki. "There's no way I'm making a deal with you."

She took a deep breath and removed her glasses, revealing her glowing red eyes. "Listen, chief. We don't want any more trouble. That whole break-in was a one-time thing. We just wanna get back to tearin' up the streets, which is kinda hard when you got all your damn guys going after us." She held up a wad of cash between her bandaged fingers. "You leave us alone and forget this whole hospital thing ever happened, and half a million yen is yours."

His eyebrows lowered. "This is a bribe."

She shrugged. "You could call it that, yeah." She leaned forward and dangled the money in front of his face enticingly with a smirk. "Whaddya say? We got a deal?"

He stared at the money for a second before bringing up a hand and slapping it away. "I don't take bribes."

She watched the cash fly out of her hands across the room. Then she turned back to him, now missing the smile she sported a second ago. "Let's try that again." She snapped her fingers. "Blackout, the cash."

"R-right!" one of the girls behind her stammered out. She rushed over to the stack of notes and brought them back over to her.

She took the yen and held it up between her fingers once again, now with a dirty look. "One more chance, Sakai. Take this and let us off the hook or else things are gonna get ugly."

Ignoring her warnings, he pounded down on his desk with his fist. "What don't you get?! I don't take bribes! Now get out of my office!"

"Alright, alright, I get it!" She slipped the cash back into her pocket and put her hands up defensively. "You don't take bribes. Fine." She paused for a moment then gave him a more menacing glare. In an instant, her aura changed to one that was significantly more terrifying. "But I'm not walkin' outta here until you assholes are off our back." She started walking around the desk.

Suddenly, Sakai felt a lot less sure of himself. His body turned and followed the zombie and he swallowed. "Now listen here, you freak of nature!" she shouted shakily. "You do NOT have-" He was stopped as a hard slap crossed his cheek.

"Shut up! It's my turn to talk!" She grabbed him by the throat and forced him down into his chair. "Sit the hell down!"

He fell into his seat and stared up at the girl above him, petrified. He knew what these girls were capable of as he had seen it only a few hours prior. He didn't dare reach for his gun. She was too close. He would surely be killed before he had the chance.

She released his neck and looked down at him pitifully. "You think you're the first cop who thinks they're too good to take our money? You goody two-shoes types always think you're so much better than us, but you're not." Her eyes shot to the desk and she paused for a moment before pushing some personal effects aside and stepping up onto it. There, she got into a squat and rested her elbows on her knees, amplifying her intimidating aura. "You think you can just boss around Dorami, huh?! YOU GOT ANY IDEA WHO YOU'RE TALKIN' TO?!"

His eyes stayed locked on her, but his lip quivered with fear.

"WELL?! DO YA?!"

"S-Saki N-Nikaido…?"

"DAMN RIGHT!" She paused for a moment then picked back up where she left off. "You should be thankful we even offered you cash in the first place! Throwin' us in a van and tryin' to sell us to the government?! I SHOULD KILL YOU FOR THAT!"

"D-d-don't…!"

"Relax, man. I won't." Her intimidating aura vanished as she put on a warm smile. "You didn't know who you were messing with that time. Can't kill someone for a first-time offense."

He let out a sigh of relief and brought a hand to his forehead. "Oh, thank god…"

Suddenly, she reached down and grabbed him by the throat once again, catching him off-guard. She put her menacing face back on and scolded him for acting so relieved. "Don't get too comfortable! If you or any other cop in this prefecture screws with anyone in Dorami, and I mean zombies or humans, in uniform or not, I will PERSONALLY hunt you down and put an end to your sad life! And I MEAN that!"

His eyes widened and a nervous drop of sweat traveled from his forehead down to his jaw.

"Here's our new deal. You stay out of our way and I don't kill you. If you screw up, well…" She leaned in close and smirked in his face. "Let's just say I can tell ya there is no afterlife." She extended her free hand toward him. "We have a deal?"

He shook her hand without hesitation. He shuddered at the sensation of touching her knuckles' raw flesh, but he wasn't in such a rush to die. As the hand around his throat was released, he took a deep breath of air and brought a hand to his chest.

"Good." Saki stuck her hands in her pockets and walked around the desk. She glanced toward Maria briefly then looked away. She walked straight out the door, followed by the three girls.

Sakai stared out the door, his heart throbbing with intense adrenaline. For the first time in a long time, he was genuinely scared for his life and he was not handling it well. He leaned forward and rested his arms on his desk and rested his head in his arms.

"Yo! Sakai!"

He looked up to see Saki poking her head through the doorway once again. "W-what?" he choked.

"Piece of advice." She pointed at him with a smirk. "Next time, take the bribe." And with that, the girl slipped back on her glasses and disappeared around the corner.

* * *

The four girls walked out the front doors of the police station freer than they had ever been. And all it took was a death threat to the chief of police; a simple job for a hardened biker from the nineties. "Well, now that that's done…" Saki put her hands behind her head and looked over at Junko. "You wanna get some Tori?"

She turned to her with her eyebrows raised. "But I thought we only went on Sundays…?"

"Sunday is when the whole gang goes. I like to go whenever I can and now feels like a good time."

"Oh. Then we can go if you'd like."

She looked back forward and grinned. "Sweet! Let's get going!" She picked up the pace and jogged toward her bike.

Sakura turned to Maria. "Maria-chan, maybe you should say something before she goes…"

She looked over at her for a moment then glanced back at Saki. She paused for a second or two before running after her. "Hey, Saki!"

She slowly looked over her shoulder at the girl as she took a seat on her bike. Her eyes were uncertain. "Uh… yeah?"

Suddenly, Maria didn't know what to say. She stood there awkwardly staring at her with her mouth slightly agape, internally panicking. "Uh… s-see you tomorrow."

She stared at her for a second then turned her gaze back to the road before replying. "Yeah. See you then." She pulled her key out of her pocket, turned on her bike, and pulled forward a bit, waiting for her sister to join her.

Junko stared at Maria for a moment before taking a seat on her bike and doing the same. She and Saki took off, soon disappearing around a corner.

Maria hadn't moved in this time. She just stood there, staring at where they had disappeared for a moment. Then, she facepalmed. "Damn it…"

Sakura walked up behind her. "You forgot to have her take off your handcuffs, Maria-chan…"

"I know, damn it! I just…" She turned around and gave the girl an uncertain look. "I don't know what to say to her, y'know?"

 _Maria-chan…_ She gestured to the two's bikes. "You wanna talk about it over lunch?"

She slowly nodded. "Yeah."


	133. The Separate Lunches

Sakura pulled off the street into a small parking lot next to Karatsu's local Maki No Udon. She pulled into a spot, turned off her bike, and looked over her shoulder to see Maria pulling in beside her. "Here we are!"

The girl parked her bike next to hers and looked up at the restaurant next to them. "What's so special about this place? I've been here before."

"Well, I used to go here a lot when I was alive…" She stepped off her bike and started walking toward the building. "So I thought it would be neat to revisit it ten years in the future!"

"Oh." She put her hands in her pockets and walked alongside her, slumping over slightly. If the bags under her eyes were any indication, she was clearly exhausted.

Sakura shot her a concerned glance then rushed forward and pulled open one of the front doors. "After you!"

Maria walked through without a response. She removed her hand from her pocket to open the next door then immediately put it back in.

 _Poor Maria-chan…_ She hurried after her and was greeted with a familiar dining room with an open kitchen. She frowned. _It hasn't changed a bit… I was kind of expecting a bit more._

The dining room slowly fell silent as everyone turned to see the two girls walking in. Overall, there were around two dozen people present, some of which were children, but all of them simply stared at the zombie and the human in silence. Even the employees behind the counter were starting to take notice. The only noise in the establishment came from the oil in the fryers and the boiling water in the kitchen.

Sakura elbowed Maria in the side. "Maria-chan! Everyone's looking at us! What do we do?"

"Huh?" She perked up and looked around menacingly. "The hell are you all staring at?!"

Everyone in the room quickly averted their eyes. The area was soon filled with a number of hushed whispers.

"There. Problem solved." She turned to the counter next to the open kitchen and pulled out one of the chairs. She took a seat and scooted herself into position.

Sakura took a spot next to her and was greeted with the contents of the counter: a small paper menu attached to a clipboard, a pen chained to the surface of the counter, and a kettle full of soup. She picked up the pen, looked down at the paper menu, and started figuring out what she wanted. _Hmm… I want soft noodles with some vegetables, maybe some shrimp, too…_ She wrote down some kanji next to the correct section indicating what she wanted then turned to the girl next to her. "What're you gonna get, Maria-chan?"

She held a pen in her hand, sloppily twirling it around between her fingers. Her eyes glazed over the paper lazily, not even bothering to take the time to read any of what it said. "I dunno. Something with chicken, I guess."

She looked back down at the paper and started pointing to different items. "Well, you can get a regular udon bowl with fried chicken in it, or you could just get a side of chicken with something else, or-"

"The first thing is fine." She dropped the pen onto the counter and rested her head on her fist. Then she was painfully reminded that her cheek was bruised and switched hands.

"Do you want soft, medium, or hard noodles?"

"I don't care. Medium."

"Okay!" She wrote down the appropriate kanji for the girl's order and set the clipboard with the paper aside. "Now… about Saki-chan…"

"She totally hates me now," she moped.

She turned to her with a sigh. "No, she doesn't, she-"

"She won't even talk to me anymore," she continued. She lifted her head off her fist and gave Sakura a tired look. "You know how many words she's said to me since she called me a traitor back there? SIX!" She held up six fingers toward her to better exemplify how little six was. "And two of them were the same damn word! Half the time she doesn't even look me in the eyes! And when she does, it's super uncomfortable for both of us! How the hell does she not hate me?!"

Sakura held up both hands and pleaded with her. "Maria-chan, calm down!"

Her eyebrows quivered and she looked down. "I just… don't know what to do anymore. I thought I did, but now…" She paused for a moment then leaned onto the counter, using her elbows as supports. "I'm missing my other half."

Slowly, a waitress came up from behind the counter and, giving both of the two girls weird looks, took the small paper menu from them. She stared at Sakura quietly for a few moments before backing away.

Sakura watched her make her way back into the kitchen then looked back over at Maria. "I really don't think she hates you, Maria-chan. You're her best friend. I think she's just upset right now because you went behind her back."

"How the hell do you know?" she mumbled. "It's not like she told you that. She's only told Marshmallow anything."

She paused for a moment then turned and leaned onto the counter with her. "Then maybe we should ask her."

"And go behind her back again? No way. I'm not gonna give her any more reasons to hate my guts."

She looked down at her hands, contemplating deeply. _That's true… Saki-chan might get even more upset if she went ahead and asked Junko-chan what she thought of her…_ She glanced at Maria quickly and saw her staring down into the surface of the counter, heartbroken. _…But I can't stand to see them apart like this! I have to do something…!_ Keeping a careful eye on the girl beside her to make sure she couldn't see what she was doing, she stealthily took out her phone.

* * *

Saki and Junko pulled off the highway and pulled into the Drive-In Tori parking lot, which was significantly busier than it usually was on their dinner visits. Saki looked around at the massive amount of cars occupying the space around the restaurant. _Damn, this place is packed…_ She ended up pulling into an empty spot in the back corner of the lot and looking over her shoulder to see her sister pulling in next to her. "Sure is busy, huh?"

"Sorry, what did you say?" she asked as she turned off her bike. "I couldn't hear."

"Said it sure is busy!"

"Oh. I guess so." She stepped off and looked up to the sky to see gray storm clouds rolling in. "Looks like it's going to rain soon… I hope Ai will be okay."

Saki hopped off her bike, put her arms behind her head, and strolled toward the restaurant. "Eh, she's got guts. She can tough it out. I think she'll be fine. Worst comes to worst, she just calls us and gets us to keep her company."

She seemed more comfortable with this response and nodded gently. "It's good she gave us the phone, then." She made her way around the building with the blonde and rushed ahead to hold the door open for her. "After you," she smiled.

"Thanks." She passed by her and made her way into the lobby, soon finding it full of people. "Oh, damn…"

Junko walked up beside her and noted the lobby's population. "It looks like it's quite a wait."

She brought a hand to her chin. "Wonder if they'll still give us the old Dorami treatment if we ask…"

"Welcome to Drive-In Tori!" The kid behind the counter greeted. It was a teenager; different from the middle-aged man who had greeted them twice before. "Would-" He stopped himself as he recognized the physiognomy of the two girls. He pointed at them excitedly. "Wait! You're those zombie girls from YouTube!"

The entirety of the waiting room soon turned around and gasped at the sight of the two before them. An aura of awe, wonder, and uncertainty washed over the area.

Saki looked around at the people staring at them and immediately put her hands on her hips with a wicked grin. "The name's Saki Nikaido and I'm a zombie! I died in 1997 in a badass motorcycle explosion and came back from the dead to tear up the streets again! I'm the first captain of Dorami, a ladies' biker gang from Saga! Nice to meet ya!"

Several hands flew up to ears in response to the change in volume, including Junko's. Everyone before her seemed appalled that the zombie could speak so well.

Satisfied at her handiwork, she waltzed over to the desk and casually leaned on it. "How long's the wait for a private room?"

"U-uh… around half an hour," the cashier answered.

She paused for a moment then flashed a cheeky grin. "How long for Dorami?"

His eyes widened and all the color drained from his face. Clearly, he had interpreted this as some kind of threat. "I-I can give you the next one…!"

She stared at him blankly. _That wasn't a threat, dude… but whatever._ She stood back up at her full height and nodded. "That's what I like to hear." She turned around to face Junko. "We get the next one."

"So I heard. Was that the Dorami treatment?"

"Nah, but we got what we wanted anyways, so I'll take what I can get." She looked down and felt the five bullet holes in her chest. "Wonder how long these'll take to heal once we eat."

"Sakura-san's hole healed within a few hours of her eating, so probably not that long."

"Yeah, but we got a lot more of them, y'know?" A small smirk spread across her face. "You could say we're GRAVELY injured."

She nodded. "Yes. If we weren't zombies already, we likely would have died from our injuries."

"You know that was a pun, right?"

She stared at her for a long moment then let out a small smile. "Oh, I get it now. That's funny."

"U-uh, your room is ready," the teenager behind the counter spoke up.

The two girls turned to him with ready grins on their faces. "Nice!" Saki exclaimed. "Which one?"

"T-twenty-four…"

"Alright, thanks!" She strolled past him and turned down a merchandise-laden hallway. At the end of the hallway was their room, which she stopped outside of and started taking off her boots. Within a matter of seconds, she had them off, so she stepped into the room and took a seat on one side of the table, soon followed by Junko on the opposite side. She turned on each of the two gas grills and grinned. "Looks like we each get one to ourselves!"

"Yes." She paused for a moment then put her hands in her lap and stared across the table into the girl's eyes. "Um, Saki, this might seem sudden, but do you mind if I ask a personal question?"

She raised an eyebrow. "What's up?"

"I noticed you were acting sort of strange toward Maria. How do you feel about her?"

She paused and stared at her for a long moment. Then she looked down. "I don't even know."

She slightly tilted her head, intrigued. "You don't know?"

"I mean, part of me just wants to forget about all this and go back to being friends or whatever, but the other part wants me to forget about her and move on, and… I don't know. My head is too damn confusing." She removed her glasses then brought a hand up and rubbed her tired eyes.

"You're at war with yourself," she observed.

She moved her hand down and squinted at her. "Huh?"

There was a sudden crack of thunder and both girls turned to the window to see rain start streaming down from the sky. There was a short moment of silence before Junko explained herself. "You're torn between two courses of action that you could take and aren't sure which one is correct because to you, neither one is. Right?"

Saki looked back at her for a moment then looked back out the window. "I guess so, yeah."

She paused for a few seconds then spoke again. "What's your reasoning? Why do you think that way?"

"Well, I don't wanna hate Maria 'cause I feel like I need someone like her, y'know? Reiko's done being a biker. I need someone to be my Reiko. And Maria… well, she was doing a pretty damn good job of it." In her mind flashed the picture the two had taken together on the roof of the gas station and she felt a twinge of sadness. "That part of me just wants to go back to what we had before this whole mess."

"…And the other part?"

"She went behind my back and found out about… that. No one else has ever done that to me." She crossed her arms and looked down at one of the grills in front of her. "I feel like she went too far, even if she feels bad. So that part of me says I can't just forgive her for this."

"I see. So you don't know what to say to her."

"Yeah." She took a deep breath and looked back across the table at her. "What do you think I should do?"

She blinked. "What do I think?"

"Yeah."

"I think you should do what your heart tells you."

She stared at her blankly. "I'm asking for advice, not some philosophy crap."

"It is advice. Listen to your heart and you will find the answer."

She paused for a long moment then put on a snarky look. "If you say so." She popped her head off her shoulders and pressed her ear to her chest. She heard her slow heartbeat in one ear and pouted jokingly. "Nope. Heart's not telling me anything."

"I'm pretty sure you know what I meant by that."

She planted her head back on her neck and twisted it back on. "Maybe if your advice actually made any sense I would, but it didn't, so I don't."

Suddenly, there was a soft buzzing and Junko's eyebrows shot up. She reached into her pocket, pulled out the flip phone, and flipped it open. She read the message onscreen. "Lily wants to know if we want flip phones or smartphones."

"Huh?"

"She says they're at the phone store and she wanted to ask because we're older-" She stopped as the phone vibrated gently once again. She read the second message and her face fell. "Oh."

"What? What is it?"

She looked up at her, still maintaining her frowning expression. "She just sent another message that told me not to ask you because it might ruin the surprise."

Saki threw her head back with laughter and slapped her knee. "Nice going!"

She let out a defeated sigh. "She sent the second message after I'd already asked…"

She waved her hand to ease her worries. "Don't worry about it! I'll just act like I didn't know when they give it to me!"

"Well, what kind do you want?"

"Uh… smartphone, I guess. That's the one that's got YouTube on it, right?"

"I think so. I'll have one, too." She started typing away her reply. "That wasn't really the surprise, you know. I didn't know they would be getting us phones, either."

"Huh? Then what's the surprise?"

She looked up from the phone for a second to give her a blank stare. "It wouldn't be much of a surprise if I told you, would it?"

She pouted and rested her head on her fist. "I guess not…"

Junko finished composing the message, sent it, and started to flip the phone shut when she noticed a small notification in the corner of the screen. "What's this?"

"What?"

"I have another message…" She started pressing buttons on the phone again. "It's from Sakura-san. I'll let you know if it's important."

"Okay." She turned her gaze back out the window, watching the rain fall from the sky. _Wonder what getting a phone has to do with me proving him wrong…_

* * *

Sakura slurped a long piece of noodle into her mouth, which flew around more and more erratically the closer the end got to her lips. Once the whole thing was inside her mouth, she let out a satisfied smack of the lips and started chewing into the soft piece of udon. The flavor of the soup the noodle was stewing in permeated itself in her cheeks, creating a delicious taste in her mouth. She smiled with pleasure and turned to the girl beside her to see how she was enjoying her meal.

Maria was staring sadly at her phone, which was displaying a sunny image of her and Saki side-by-side, grinning from ear to ear on the roof of a gas station. She hadn't so much as touched her noodles.

"You should really eat, Maria-chan…" she piped up. "Aren't you hungry?"

"Not really." She pushed the bowl away from her and just kept staring at the picture. She let out a depressed sigh.

Sakura stared at the girl for a few seconds before turning her attention back to her udon. Seeing her friend in such a sad state had made her start to lose her appetite, too, but she needed to eat if she wanted her multiple gunshot wounds to heal. Her attention soon shifted, though, as she felt her phone vibrate in her pocket. She quickly dropped her chopsticks and reached for it, eagerly pulling it out. Her eyes scanned the message that had appeared on her lockscreen.

"She is conflicted, but emotionally okay."

She read Junko's words over and over again, each time growing more and more confused. _Conflicted about what?_ She swiped to enter the messaging app then asked this exact question back. Then she set her phone down on the counter and continued eating.

Maria let out another sigh then reached into her bowl with her hand and scooped some noodles into her mouth.

"Um, I'm pretty sure you're supposed to use the chopsticks, Maria-chan…"

"Shut up. I don't care." She slowly chewed her udon and continued staring down at the picture in her hand.

She watched the girl eat her noodles like some sort of savage with a look of extreme disappointment on her face. _I get that she's upset, but does she have to use her hands?_ She looked back down at the phone on the counter and stared at its black screen. _How long does it take Junko-chan to reply?_

* * *

Saki rested her head on her fist, watching Junko type at the speed of an average garden snail. _This is so damn boring…_ She looked out the window for a second. _Wish I had my Tamagotchi._ Of course, she knew Reiko probably threw the damn thing away, so it didn't matter. Besides, the phone that she would be receiving in a few hours would likely be a half-decent substitute. That said, she still missed the little thing. It had brought her so much joy and so much pride; watching it grow and develop was easily a highlight of her life.

There was a sudden crack of thunder that was strong and loud enough to vibrate the floor and walls of the restaurant.

Both girls were brought back to reality with this boom and their eyes shot to each other across the table. After a second, they each grew a little smirk. "That was so loud," Junko stated.

"You said it."

The two shared a short laugh then turned back to what they were doing. Saki looked back out the window and rested her head on her fist again. After a few seconds, the excitement of the lightning strike wore off and she was bored once again. Normally, she wouldn't be so bored at Tori because she had someone else there with her to keep her company, usually Reiko. But now she was done and Maria had taken her place. That is, she had until Saki had told her off so viciously. She remembered her face at that moment; the sobbing face of a girl who just did something wrong and wanted her to forgive her. Her eyebrows quivered. _All she wanted was my forgiveness…_

 _But that's not something that can be forgiven._

She scowled. _Back to this, huh? God, why the hell can't I just forgive her?! Do I actually have a good reason not to just get over it?!_

 _She betrayed my trust._

 _And then she felt so bad that she cried into my shoulder for ten minutes and swore she'd never do it again!_

 _But what if she does?_

 _What if she doesn't?!_ She grabbed either side of her head and groaned. _Why the hell am I having such a hard time with this?!_

"Saki…?"

Her eyes shot open and she turned back to Junko, who was staring back at her, eyebrows raised. "What?"

"Are you okay? You seem distressed."

She waved her hand nonchalantly. "I'm fine." This seemed to have no effect, though, as she saw no change in the way Junko was looking at her. Realizing once again that it would be better to just tell her, she let out a sigh of defeat and dropped her hands back to her sides. "I'm just thinking about Maria again."

She gave her a concerned look. "Maybe we should go back to Karatsu and talk to her, then."

She let her head drop onto the table before them. "I can't do that…" she moaned. "I don't even know what to think of her. What do you expect me to SAY to her?"

She paused for a long moment. "Have you taken into account what she would say to you?"

"Probably the same stuff she said to me before I called her a traitor. All about how she was sorry and how she didn't wanna hurt me and how she regretted it so much." She put her hands on the back of her head and dug her nails into her scalp. "All that crap I said to her back there… She didn't deserve that."

Junko quickly reached across the table and tore her fingers out of her own skull. "You feel bad about what you said?"

"Of course I do! Did you see how hard she was crying?!" She let out a depressed sigh and dropped her hands on either side of her head. "I did that to her. I'm the reason she was crying."

She paused for a moment then gently started stroking her blonde locks. "She doesn't blame you for what you said. It was a heat of the moment-type thing. You wouldn't have said that if you had some time to process it beforehand and she knows that."

Once again, the contact the two shared comforted her immensely. Feeling the loving hands of her sister push themselves through her hair was almost therapeutic. A small smile spread across her face as she let her massage her head through her hair.

"Your hair is so pretty. I'd like to braid it sometime."

She chuckled and tilted her head up to face her with a devious smirk. "Only if I can put yours into a mohawk."

She laughed and brought a hand up to gently floof up her hair. "Not in a million years." She paused for a moment then brought the hand back down to continue stroking her hair. "Do you feel better now?"

"Way better. Thanks, sis."

"You're welcome." She stopped stroking her with one hand and picked back up the phone she was texting on. "By the way, do you mind if I tell Sakura how you're feeling? She's curious."

"I don't care," she replied. She turned her head sideways and exhaled in pure bliss as her sister ran her slender fingers through her bangs. _This feels so good…_

* * *

Sakura felt her phone buzz in her pocket and pulled it out once again. Her face lit up as she saw onscreen a long. detailed notification from Junko laying out the condition Saki was in. _Yes!_ She happily unlocked her phone, put the message onscreen, and slowly and silently slid her phone across the counter so that it was next to Maria's.

Her head slightly turned to the side to see what was put beside her then turned the rest of the way once she started reading it. Her eyes scanned the whole thing and then she looked up at the zombie beside her, wide-eyed. "For real?"

She nodded. "We're gonna help you get her back, Maria-chan."

Her eyes darted between the phone and the girl beside her, a small smile spreading across her face. "She doesn't hate me?"

"Nope! She's just super confused."

Her smile grew to span the entire length of her face. "So I still have a chance…" She suddenly wore a much more confident grin. "I'm gonna find a way to fix this!" she cheered.

"Yeah!" Sakura yelled in turn. She paused for a moment then turned back to her bowl. "Just as soon as we finish our udon."

"Oh, yeah, no way am I leaving this behind. It's good."

"Just please make sure you use your chopsticks this time…"

"I'm gonna! Chill out!"


	134. The First Step

There was a loud hum as the garage door slowly pulled itself up, revealing two red bikes parked to one side. On the other side of the garage, a large grey SUV pulled in and turned off as soon as it was fully under the cover of the garage. The passenger side door opened and out stepped Ai, in full makeup and a more casual outfit than her Dorami uniform, with an umbrella in hand. She silently walked around the back of the car, making sure not to set foot in the pouring rain, and opened the back door on the right side.

Out hopped Lily, also in full makeup, holding three smartphones and one flip phone. She held up the flip phone to her sister with a wide smile. "Here you go, Ai-chan! I got it all set up for you!"

"Thanks." She took the phone in her hand and flipped it open, admiring its sleek, clean design. It was a major step up from the low-budget fossil she had carried around before. After a second, she flipped it shut and slipped it into her navy blue cardigan pocket. Then she turned to the driveway and opened the umbrella in her hands. "Let's go."

"Not yet! We have to wait for Pappy!"

The driver's-side door opened and the huge mass of a man carefully stepped out, taking care not to hit his head on the comparatively small doorway of the SUV. Once he was fully out, he shut the door, locked the car, and turned to the two girls. "So, are we ready to call them home?"

Ai nodded. "I'd say we are."

Lily gasped and shoved two of the three smartphones into her sister's hands. "Hold these! I'll call them right now!" She excitedly started tapping on her own phone's screen and held the device up to her ear.

* * *

Saki plucked a piece of chicken off the grill, dunked it in sauce, and tossed it into her mouth. "So, then, once we had all the gasoline poured out, we just flicked a match and tossed it in. The explosion was AWESOME, you should have seen it. Easily the hypest thing we've ever done. We should have taken a video."

Junko stared at her, her mouth slightly open and her eyebrows raised.

She looked up at her after a second and frowned at her shocked expression. "What? You asked."

"I know, it's just… surprising."

She swallowed the chicken in her mouth and stared blankly at her. "It's called 'the penthouse arson'. The hell did you think was gonna happen?"

Her eyebrows lowered. "To be fair, you referred to our website as a headquarters. You don't exactly consistently name things literally." She picked up her calpis and took a long, smug sip.

Saki watched her silently, trying to think of a good comeback but failing. She silently admitted defeat and let out a proud smirk. _She's quick, I'll give her that…_

Suddenly, Junko set down her drink and reached into her pocket, revealing that the phone in her possession was vibrating and lighting up. "Excuse me." She opened the phone and held it up to her ear. "Hello?"

She could hear the excited voice of Lily leaking through the speaker from across the table, but she couldn't decipher what was being said as the sheer volume of Junko's hair absorbed most of the sound. Her eyes shot down to the remaining food and she placed another piece of chicken on the grill to make up for the one she had taken off. Then she made a small ball of rice with her chopsticks and lifted it into her mouth.

"We're just eating some Drive-In Tori. Are you ready for us?" She paused for a moment then nodded. "Okay, we'll come home as soon as we're done with our meal."

At hearing this, Saki perked up. _The surprise is ready?! Hell yeah!_ She immediately started stuffing chicken, rice, and lettuce into her mouth at an astonishing rate, not even bothering to breathe between bites.

"…Which probably won't take very long."

She looked up for a second, her cheeks stuffed with food, and gave a thumbs up. She tried to pair this with a cheeky grin, but ended up putting the half-chewed chicken in her mouth on display instead.

This seemed to appall Junko, whose face turned into a disgusted frown. She looked away. "Okay. We'll see you soon. By- I love you too. Bye." And with that, she flipped the phone shut and slipped it back into her pocket. She glared back across the table at her sister. "How charming," she remarked.

She let out another grin, this time with food actually spilling out of her mouth. "Hrrf mrrg hurf!"

* * *

Saki threw open the front door and rushed through, rain pounding on her jacket's back. She was soon followed by Junko, whose hair had been flattened by the pouring rain. As soon as both were inside, she turned around and slammed the door shut behind them. She turned to the girl beside her with a chuckle. "We've gotten wet a lot today, huh?"

She slowly took the red jacket off her body, revealing her stitched-up arms. "Is twice a lot?"

She shrugged. "I dunno. More than usual."

"I guess so."

Suddenly, a blue-haired blur appeared from around the corner and rushed toward the two, towels in her arms. "Saki-chan! Junko-chan!" Lily tossed the towels to each of them and beamed. "Welcome home!"

Ai soon appeared from around the corner with her hands in her pockets. "How was the drive?"

"Wet," Junko replied, wrapping the towel around her shoulders and shaking out her hair. "How have you been handling this storm?"

"Pretty well, actually. Lightning isn't as scary when you know it can't hurt you."

"That's good to hear."

Saki wiped her face on the towel she had been given and noted that both Ai and Lily had full makeup on. _Huh. Guess they had to wear that to get the phones… But what's the surprise?_ She pondered for a second before actually asking it aloud. "So, what's the surprise?"

Lily squealed with excitement and bounced up and down excitedly. She could barely contain herself.

"We'll get there in a minute," Ai replied. "For now, you need to get changed. You're soaking wet."

"Yeah, I got that," Saki shot back, removing her wet jacket from her shoulders. "You wanna take this for me?"

"Sure." She took her and Junko's jackets and moved back down the hall, presumably to toss them in the dryer like last time.

She wiped the towel around her body before setting it down on the floor and taking a seat on it to remove her boots. She heard the ecstatic breathing of Lily behind her and glanced over her shoulder at her. "You okay?"

"Yeah! I'm good! I'm just super excited!" She was clearly extremely eager to see her reaction to the surprise. "Come on, come on, hurry up!"

Feeling mischievous, she faked a yawn and stretched one of her arms over her head. "I dunno, I'm feeling pretty tired… maybe I'll take a nap first…"

She pouted and started pounding her on the back with her fists. "No! You gotta see it as soon as possible!"

She snickered and put up her hands defensively. "Chill out, kid! I was kidding!"

"Well then quit being stupid! Just take off your boots already so you can go change!"

"Yeah, yeah…"

* * *

Saki stepped out of the bathroom, now in a black tank top and grey sweatpants, with new bandages over her six bullet holes and her gory knuckles. While her wounds had healed in the time since she had eaten lunch, the reparations weren't substantial enough to warrant not bandaging them, so she did. She looked down to see Lily standing beside her, eagerly awaiting her signal. She grinned. "Okay, let's go see the surprise!"

"YAY!" she cheered, throwing a fist in the air. She grabbed her sister by the hand and led her down the hall at full speed. "Ai-chan and Junko-chan are already downstairs, so I'm the one who gets to cover your eyes!"

"Oh yeah? Whaddya even need to cover my eyes for?"

"It's a surprise! You can't have a surprise without covering your eyes!" She hopped down the stairs and turned the corner before slowing to a stop outside the living room. "Wait here! I gotta see if they're ready!" She cracked open the door and whispered through. "She's outside! Are you ready?!"

"Hm? Oh, yes," Junko replied from within. "We were just waiting for you two."

"Okay!" She closed the door and skipped behind Saki, placing her hands over her eyes. "Okay, we're coming in!" She gently pushed her sister forward toward the door.

Saki reached a hand out in front of her and felt her way to the doorknob. She pushed the door open and walked a few steps into the room before stopping and putting her hands on her hips. "Okay! I'm ready!"

"Okay… In three, two, one…!" The child removed her hands from her eyes, revealing Takeo standing before her with his hands on Ai and Junko's shoulders. "SURPRISE!" all four yelled in unison.

Saki's eyebrows shot up as she wasn't expecting to see Lily's dad present for the surprise. "Uh, hey, Takeo."

"Hi, Saki," he smiled.

She looked around the room for a bit, her eyes eventually landing on Ai. "So, uh, I'm a bit lost here. What's the surprise?"

Lily giggled and skipped past her, making her way over to her father. She effortlessly leaped up onto his shoulder and wrapped an arm around his head. "Pappy's the surprise!"

"Huh?"

"Well," Ai explained, "from what I've gathered, your father was… well, to put it bluntly, he was abusive. Your whole life, he told you terrible things about you, didn't he? And then when you couldn't protect your mom from him, you proved that he was right about you."

She crossed her arms and looked away. "Yeah."

She paused for a moment before continuing. "The thing is, Saki, he's wrong. He's always been wrong."

She looked back at her skeptically. _Yeah, you keep telling me that._

"In our time knowing you, you've made it more than apparent that you deserve more than you think. You're a good friend and an even better sister. Your dad was the only one who thought that you aren't worthy of love. He brainwashed you into thinking that, too."

Her eyebrows slowly went up on her forehead. _Brainwashed…?_

"We thought that, if you had a real father, one who actually loved you and cared about you and respected you for who you are, it might help you realize that he was never right to begin with and that you don't need to prove him wrong. So we asked Takeo if he'd be willing to treat us as more than just tenants. He's adopting us."

 _I don't need to prove him wrong…?_ Her gaze slowly drifted up to the man's face. _What the hell is she going on about?_

"Saki," he started, "I know this may be hard to believe, but your father lied to you. Every child is worthy of love, regardless of who they are. The fact that you didn't get that love and care as a child is tragic. If you're willing, I'd be happy to fill the void he left unfilled."

Her eyes shot to Ai, then Takeo, then Lily, then Junko, then Takeo, then Ai again, then Lily, then Junko, then Lily, then Takeo. "Why?"

"Well, if Lily sees you three as her sisters, I might as well treat you like them," he smiled, pulling Ai and Junko closer to him. "You all need a good father figure."

She stared at him for a few more seconds before her eyes turned down to the floor. _The old man is wrong? But I haven't even proved him wrong yet… And now they're saying I don't have to? That he brainwashed me or whatever? What the hell?_ She brought a hand up to her forehead and let out a stressed breath. _And this is my surprise? Man… they did say it wasn't what I was expecting, but this is totally out of left field! Just accepting a new dad?! This is totally weird!_

"Saki," Junko stated, "I know this might seem strange, but we really think it will help you. I assure you, Takeo-san is more than willing to put in the effort and be a good father to you. To all of us."

She looked up at her and her eyebrows quivered. "Isn't this weird? You just found out your parents died two days ago!"

Her eyes moved away from her slowly. "Well, yes… This new life has had many changes for me. But…" She looked up at Takeo with a warm smile. "There are some things I really don't want to change. I'd like to continue having a father in my life, even if it's not the same one I started with."

Her gaze shot to Ai. "Ai! What about you?! Aren't your parents still alive?!"

"Yeah, but…" She looked past her. "They won't respond to any of my emails and they hang up on me when I call. I'll probably never see either one again because they think I'm some kind of internet troll." She brought a hand up to Takeo's and pressed it into her shoulder. "So I think it would be better if I just let this sort of thing happen. It was probably bound to, anyways. I might as well acknowledge it."

She looked to Lily to ask a similar question but stopped herself as her eyes came across the concerned expression on her face. She didn't even need to ask. In that moment, she knew that no one was on her side this time. _They all want me to just… bring in another old man?_

"Saki… do you need a minute?" asked Ai.

She glanced back over at her and hesitated for a moment before nodding. "Y-yeah." She turned around and slowly opened the door she had come in through and closed it behind her. She walked into the office, whose door was right next to that of the living room, and took a seat in the desk chair. She took a deep breath and hung her head, thinking to herself. _Another dad? Why the hell would I want that? And they think the old man brainwashed me? There's no way that's right. I know what I'm thinking, he doesn't control me._

The muffled voice of Takeo bled through the wall, but it was impossible to understand.

She stared at the wall out the corner of her eye and pressed her ear up against it. _The hell are they saying in there?_

"Don't feel bad, you did fine," Ai assured him. "She can be a little hard to get through, that's all."

"I'd just hoped that she would be more receptive," Takeo replied.

"Well, she was abused pretty badly. It might take her a bit to warm up to you as her father."

"I just hope this works," Junko stated. "She opened up to me in the river and it's appalling how deep the scars are."

There was a short second of silence before Takeo spoke up. "Where did Masao go?"

"Saki-chan?" Lily asked, her voice loud and clear.

Saki's eyes shot back to the door of the office, where Lily was staring at her. "GUEHH!" She tore her ear from the wall and stared at her for a moment. _She's too damn good at sneaking around…_ She let out a nervous smile. "Lily! What's up?"

She looked to the wall where she was listening then back at her. "Pappy's a good dad, you know…"

She kept her eyes locked on her, but her smile fell. She sat in uncomfortable silence.

She slowly started walking into the room toward her with her hands behind her back. "He's nice, he's funny, he's generous, he's kind, and he loves me…" She stopped mere inches from her. "He's not like your dad. You don't have to be afraid of him."

She sighed, irritated at the situation. "I'm not."

She cocked her head. "Then why did you act like that?"

She ran a hand through her hair. "It's not that I'm scared of him, it's just that…" She paused for a long moment then dropped her arms in front of her. "Don't take this the wrong way, okay? Your pops is a good dude. I like him. What I said out there has nothing to do with him."

"Then what is it?"

She crossed her arms. "I don't WANT a dad," she said through gritted teeth. "My last old man wasn't so great."

Her face turned sullen with sympathy. "Oh…" She hesitated for a few seconds then looked deep into her crimson eyes. "What do you think dads are supposed to do?"

She blinked. "Huh? Uhh, I dunno. Go to work, make money, all that crap. Why?"

"Well, I don't really think you know."

"What, am I wrong?"

"They're supposed to do a lot more."

"Like what?"

"Stuff like supporting what you wanna do, spending time with you doing things you like, and being there for you when you're sad. Y'know, unconditional love and all that stuff."

She raised an eyebrow. "The hell is 'unconditional love'?"

"It's when, no matter what you do or who you turn out to be, they'll always love you."

"Oh." She paused for a moment then looked at her questioningly. "What're you telling me this for? I already know my old man was shitty."

"Because Pappy can do all of that for you. He can be a good dad and he can show you just how wrong your old man was!"

She sighed and stared at her with tired eyes. "Listen, sis, no offense, but I already have a lot going on and you guys doing this for me is kinda the last thing I need right now. I get what you're trying to do here, but I don't want this."

She froze for a few seconds then spoke more softly than before. "I didn't, either."

She blinked. "Huh?"

"After what he said to me before I died, I was really trying not to think about him. When you brought me to him, I didn't really think I needed a dad, either. But then we talked and I realized that I was being wrong. And now I'm really happy with him. And I think you will be, too."

She silently watched her reach for her hand and take it with her own.

"When I was talking to him, you held my hand, remember? Like this." She lifted her limp hand up and held it close to her chest to show her sincerity. "Give him a chance, Saki-chan. I think that he could make you really happy. And you being happy would make me happy." She let out a hopeful smile.

"Didn't he kill you?"

She shrugged. "It was an accident. Besides, if I hadn't died, I wouldn't be a zombie and I wouldn't be twelve forever and I wouldn't have the best sister ever!" she beamed.

"Well, what about how he keeps using the wrong name for you? Doesn't that piss you off?"

"Well, that's just an old habit he has. He's trying to call me Lily more now. He wouldn't try to make me mad on purpose."

Saki wracked her brain for another question, another reason to say no, but she was out of ammo. She had nothing left. She looked at her sister and saw the pure hope and care in her eyes directed straight at her. _She really wants me to do this…_ She hesitated for a long moment then asked one final question: "You really think this'll help?"

She gave a silent nod.

After a long minute in the chair, she slowly rose to her feet. While keeping a firm grip on her hand, she walked Lily out of the room and back into the living room where the others were still waiting for her. "Hey, Takeo."

The man turned his attention toward her. "Yes?"

Her eyes turned to the ground. "I… don't really get how my old man is in my head or whatever. If I'm being real, I think you're full of crap."

The three before her were silent. Ai and Junko shot each other a nervous glance.

She brought her head up to him slowly. "But… I guess you have a way to prove it?"

He nodded, a brief glimmer of hope shining in his eyes. "I think so."

She looked at Ai's face, then Junko's, then Lily's. They all seemed to convey the same expression: hope. She took a deep breath and brought her eyes back up to him. "I guess I could give this a shot, then."

A wide smile immediately found its way onto Takeo's face. "Thank you, Saki."

She waved a hand, trying to act cool in what was actually a monumentally unfamiliar situation. "Yeah, yeah."

Lily wrapped her arms around her and giggled. "Now we're sisters for real!"

Junko soon joined in on the hug. "Any doubt of that is gone."

Ai stepped forward and completed the quartet of sisters. "Things are going to be better from here on out with Takeo."

Saki wriggled her arms out from beneath the others' and wrapped them around her family. _I sure as hell hope- GYAH!_ Her thought process was interrupted as she felt the three squeeze around her more tightly than before and her feet were no longer on the ground. She looked up to see that Takeo had joined in on the hug and effortlessly lifted them from where they were standing.

"Please, Ai, call me dad," he smiled.

"Right, sorry."

"There's no need to apologize. I know this will take time." He set the four down and looked down at them fondly. "I know this is a big change for you; especially Saki. But I promise, I will do my best to be a good father to all of you."

Junko was the first to thank him. "Thank you, dad."

Ai smiled with her. "Thanks, dad."

He nodded toward the two zombies then turned to the final adoptee.

Saki faked a smile toward the man. "T-thanks."

He seemed unfazed by her inability to call him her father. He perfectly understood what she was going through mentally. He just smiled down at her.

She looked back down at the child beside her. "So, uh, when do I get my phone?"

Lily frowned and glared at Junko. "Junko-chan! I asked you not to tell!"

"Sorry…"


	135. The Night of Changes

The rest of Saki's day had been… interesting. The group's afternoon mostly consisted of board games and movie viewings where she seemed to be constantly reminded that she had been adopted by Takeo. From passing references to Ai and Junko correcting themselves when calling him by something other than 'dad', it seemed like it was being continually alluded to at all times. Needless to say, it was a bit of an awkward experience for her, but she pulled through for the sake of her sisters, who seemed to genuinely enjoy the time with their new father. After many, many hours of 'family time', the group eventually split up to get ready for bed.

Her time in the shower had given her plenty of room to reflect on how her entire world had changed in the span of a day. Not like that hadn't happened before; three weeks prior, she died and she literally traveled almost twenty-one years into the future. This time, though, it was just her world that had changed, no one else's. In one day, she'd gone from completely ignoring what she'd done to being constantly reminded of it by everyone she talked to; it had changed from no one else knowing her secret to it being a common topic of conversation. It made her uncomfortable. She didn't like to think about it before and she still didn't now. That much hadn't changed.

She now stood in front of the bathroom mirror, wrapping bandages over her right shoulder, covering the dark, charred skin that had come from her death. She had long forgotten about the topics on her mind in the shower as she had spent time bandaging herself and putting on her pajamas as she went. The shoulder was the part she hated doing the most, which was why she saved it for last. With one arm, she held her long hair away from her back and the other tossed the piece of cloth over and around her body. She stared at her zombie self in the mirror as she went through the tedious process, mentally kicking herself for not asking Ai how she did it to maybe get some pointers. _I gotta stop forgetting that…_

Through the door, the hearty laughter of Takeo could be heard.

She stopped for a second and stared at herself stoically as she was once again reminded of all that had transpired over the last day. After a moment, she sighed and continued wrapping herself up. _Even when I'm alone, I can't not think about that crap…_ Finally, once she was finished, she cut off the end of the bandage with the scissors, tucked it under the ones wrapped around her back, and slipped on her pajama shirt. She pulled her hair out of her neck hole, picked up the clothes that she had worn into the bathroom, unlocked the door, and walked out. She soon made her way down the hall to her and Lily's bedroom, where she was unsurprised to again see the man who had adopted her.

Seated on Lily's bed was Takeo, Junko, and Lily. The two zombies had already showered, as illustrated by the fact that they both lacked makeup and were already in their pajamas. Junko was seated between Takeo and Lily, holding her new smartphone with two hands with an expression of awe on her face.

Seemingly unnoticed, she stepped into the room and tossed the pile of clothes into the closet onto an ever-growing pile of dirty laundry.

At this sound, Takeo looked up at her with a warm smile. "Ah, Saki! How was your shower?"

"Uh, good," she replied slowly. Her eyes turned toward Lily. "What's going on here?"

"We're showing Junko-chan how to use her phone!" she announced.

"This really is amazing," Junko gushed. "Everyone has a chance to share their voice… It's almost beautiful." She looked up at the man beside her. "How do I write one of these 'tweets'?"

He shook his head. "I'm not too familiar with Twitter myself."

"You press this button!" Lily leaned over and tapped on Junko's screen.

She glanced back down at the phone and her eyes widened. "Oh!" Now inspired, she started typing with a wide smile.

Takeo turned toward the zombie across the room. "Saki, have you used your phone yet?"

"Uh, not really…" She looked back over her shoulder at the clothes she had tossed into the pile as she had accidentally left her phone in her sweatpants' pocket. She'd messed around with it a bit, but only for a few minutes at most.

"Would you like us to show you how?"

She let out a tired sigh. "I really just wanna hit the hay already, man. It's been a long day."

"Alright." He rose to his feet, leaving behind a large crater in Lily's mattress that slowly folded back out. He stepped around the air mattress and bent down to inflate it. He held down the remote and started the pump on the bed.

Junko finished typing and showed her handiwork to Lily, who smiled up at her. She tapped a few more times on the screen then turned it off. She said a few words to the child beside her, stood up, and walked over to the bedroom door. She looked toward Saki and mouthed, "Goodnight."

"Night," she mouthed back. She watched her walk out of the room then squatted down next to the clothes she had been wearing earlier. After a few seconds of searching, she found her phone in her sweatpants' pocket and pulled it out. It was a smartphone, like Junko's and Lily's, but in an orange protective case with a game boy charm. She slipped it into her pocket and stood back up with plenty of snaps and cracks coming from her legs.

Lily scooted across her bed and pulled the covers over herself. She snuggled into bed and watched her father as he finally finished inflating the air mattress.

Takeo stood up and walked around the mattress back to the bed he was seated on before. He bent down over his daughter and pulled the covers tight over her chest. "Goodnight, Lily. I love you." He leaned down and planted a soft kiss on her forehead.

A wide smile spread across her face and she closed her eyes. "I love you, too, Pappy."

Saki cocked her head. _What the hell? People actually do that?_

He stood back up at his full height and looked over at Saki. After a second, he motioned toward the air mattress on the ground.

 _Is he about to do the same thing to me?_ Despite how gentle this giant had been to her sister mere seconds ago, her eyebrows quivered with uneasiness. She wasn't uncomfortable around him before; they could even loosely be called friends. But now, he was trying to be a father to her. And fathers were not exactly something she was overly fond of. She didn't move a muscle.

He stared at her for a few moments then nodded. "It's alright. I understand. Goodnight." He walked back around the air mattress to the doorway, turned off the light, and walked out, shutting the door behind him.

She watched the door for a second then fell forward onto the bed with a deep breath. She rolled to the middle then sprawled out and used her left foot to try and maneuver the blanket over her body. Finally, she let out another exhausted sigh and stared at the ceiling. _Glad this stupid day is over…_

"Goodnight, Saki-chan."

"Night, kid."

Suddenly, both her phone and Lily's vibrated in sync with each other. Their screens lit up, illuminating both the ceiling and Saki's side.

Saki pulled her phone out of her pocket and looked at its screen. She squinted as its bright light blinded her. After a second, though, her eyes adjusted and she was able to see the long list of notifications that littered her screen. "What the hell?"

"Oh, while you were in the shower, we made a group chat," Lily explained. "You missed a lot."

"Huh." She held the phone over her hand with her left and swiped with her right to open the messaging app, where she was greeted with a long, long list of messages, most of which were between Ai and Sakura. She started scrolling up through the texts, going backwards through the two friends' conversation. Eventually, she got to a part where Junko and Lily were speaking, too. As she kept going upwards, she couldn't help but grow a small smile at how into the chat the four were. Her smile fell, though, as she came across one message in particular.

At 7:24 PM, Maria Amabuki wrote, 'shut up' in response to Junko pointing out the ridiculousness of something she had said earlier.

She stared at the image onscreen and once again thought back to the best friend she'd pushed away. _Maria…_

There was a sudden knock at the door and it creaked open gently, just enough for Takeo's head to peek through. "Saki, Lily, how do you two feel about going to get new beds tomorrow?"

Lily gasped. "We're gonna get new beds?!"

Saki blinked. "Wait, why?"

"Well, you can't sleep on an air mattress forever," he chuckled.

She squinted. _I can't? Since when?_

"We should get a bunk bed, Saki-chan!" Lily effused.

She turned to the child briefly then looked back over at him. She shrugged. "Okay, I guess."

He smiled at the zombies before him. "Alright. Then we can go once you're done with work tomorrow. Goodnight, girls." He gently closed the door once again, leaving the two to themselves.

Lily's red glowing eyes were wide with excitement. "When we get the bed, I want the top bunk!"

She let her head roll back to a neutral position and stared at the ceiling. "Yeah, sure."

She squealed in excitement and sat back in bed. "I can't wait!"

Saki looked back at her phone screen at the message Maria had sent. Her thoughts returned to the girl once again and she felt a strange twinge of pain in her chest. That girl was the cause of all this change, but could she really be mad? She wasn't trying to be any trouble; she was just trying to help her, just in her own impulsive way. But at the same time, she had gone behind her back and uncovered her worst secret, so she sort of had to be mad. She let out a deep sigh. _Damn it…_

"Hey, Saki-chan, you know you have to charge your phone every night, right?"

She glanced over at Lily and clicked the button on the side, turning off its screen. "Huh? Every night? The battery only lasts a DAY?"

She rolled her eyes and held out her hand. "Here, give it to me. I'll do it."

She handed the phone over and sat back in her bed, looking up at the ceiling above her. _Wonder what she's up to right now…_

* * *

Maria stared at herself in the mirror and took a deep breath, building up dramatic tension for a touching conclusion. "I get it if you hate me. If I were in your shoes, I probably would, too. I can't blame you for that." She paused for a moment then swallowed. "But can you at least gimme another chance?"

There was a short moment of silence before Sakura clapped. "That was great, Maria-chan! Good job!"

Yuugiri applauded her with a generous smile. "That felt very genuine, Maria-han. I'm sure Lady Saki will greatly appreciate your honesty."

"Hrrrmmnngh…" Tae grumbled.

The four were in the bedroom of the mansion Sakura, Yuugiri, and Tae called home. By now, Sakura and Maria had been working on a way to earn Saki back for hours with occasional input from Yuugiri.

Maria turned around in her chair to face the zombies, her handcuffs creating a soft sound as they slid across the table. "You guys really think that was good?"

Sakura nodded. "Yeah! But… If I had to change one thing, it'd probably be the part where you explained how she was your best friend. She doesn't like people to care about her, remember?"

She scowled. "You tellin' me to lie to her? I'm not gonna lie to her, Blackout! What the hell?!"

"Th-that's not what I'm saying!" she cried, putting her hands up in front of her. "I'm not saying to lie, I'm just saying to not say it at all!"

Her anger quickly melted away and her eyebrows shot up. "Oh… you think she'll say no if I mention that?"

"Well, I don't know…" She scratched the side of her head. "I just don't wanna give her a good reason to."

"…Crap." She looked down. "You might have a point."

"If you ask me," Yuugiri interjected, "omitting such an important statement is just as bad as lying about your feelings. In my opinion, it would be better to tell her outright. Your current speech is fine as is."

She looked up at her, severe worry in her eyes. "But what if she yells at me the same way she yelled at my mom?"

"Even if she does initially seem upset, with time she will have to face the reality that her friends care about her. She can't stay upset with you forever."

She glanced to the side. "I guess not…"

Suddenly, the bedroom door swung open as a foot connected with it. It was Koutarou Tatsumi's foot, and he was mad. "PARK YOUR BIKE IN THE SHED, YOU STUPID ZOMBIE!"

Sakura turned to him, now panicking. "I-I did! Maria-chan's is the one in the driveway!"

Realizing that the human was in his house for some reason, he loosened up. "Oh. Hi, Maria."

The girl in question frowned. "Tsk! My bike is different from everyone else's! You should be able to tell it's not her!"

He grew a childish grin and leaned forward. "Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't know I knew everything about your stupid gang! How silly of me! Of course it's your bike! Please, park it wherever the hell you want!"

She gritted her teeth and scoffed. "Damn, I hate that guy…" she muttered under her breath.

Sakura spoke up. "Oh, Koutarou-san! Did you get my text?"

He let out a cheeky smile and waved a hand. "Oh, yeah, yeah, sure I did!" He slowly took his phone out of his pocket and looked down at its screen, clearly reading Sakura's request to use his equipment for the first time. He looked up at her and waved a hand. "Oh, you can use my stuff all you want!" He sulked suddenly. "It's not like I'll be using it for anything."

The girls all stared blankly at him. After a minute or so of solid silence, Maria sighed and rose to her feet. "Alright, this just got awkward. I'm gonna go."

Sakura turned to her, surprised. "Huh? Already?"

"Whaddya mean, 'already'? I've been here for, like, six hours." She pulled her key out of her pocket and spun it around on her finger. "My mom's probably cooking dinner right now, anyways."

"Oh, okay. Well, I'll see you tomorrow, then!"

"Yeah. See you then." She started toward the door then stopped and looked over her shoulder. "Hey, Blackout?"

"Yes?"

A small smile spread across her face. "Thanks." Then she turned and walked past Koutarou out the door. She turned down the hall and walked out of sight.

"Grraahh…" Tae grumbled.

Sakura bent down beside the zombie and gently rubbed her head. "It's okay, Tae-chan. I'm sure everything will work out okay for them."

Yuugiri eyed her for a second then turned to Koutarou, who was still sulking. "Koutarou-han, a moment of your time?"

He looked up at her. "For what?"

"For talking."

He made a motion with his head that had the equivalent of rolling his eyes then stepped out the room. "Fine."

She turned to Sakura and Tae. "Please excuse me."

"Of course!" Sakura replied cheerily.

She turned and walked out of the room, shutting the door behind her.

Now that she had a moment of alone time, Sakura grinned. _Finally!_ She skipped over to the wardrobe and pulled a chair up beside it. She stepped up onto the chair and reached up to the top of the wardrobe, where she found her stash: a small, pink radio with CD functionality and her autographed Iron Frill CD. She squealed in excitement, hopped off the chair, and sat down on her futon. She opened the case, pulled out the disc, and placed it inside the player. She was just about to hit play when she started hearing the two's conversation through the wall.

"I spent years building up the skills needed to be a good manager," Koutarou grumbled, "and for what? I have nothing to manage. Nothing to compose for. Nothing to work for."

There was a quiet moment of silence before Yuugiri spoke up. "Have you told him yet?"

He groaned. "No, and I don't plan to. Stop asking."

"You can't keep up this charade forever. He's going to find out sometime. It's better that he hears it from you."

"It's better that he doesn't hear it at all."

Sakura's eyebrows lowered. _Who are they talking about?_ She pondered for a second before shrugging and pressing play on the radio. _I guess that's not really my business._

* * *

Sakai stared straight ahead, keeping his tired eyes on the road before him. He'd just gotten off work and normally he would go home and reunite with his family, but tonight he was headed toward a bar. He'd quit drinking years ago, but what happened today had forced him to return to his old coping mechanism. His life had been threatened; the gang of zombie girls he had so foolishly gone after had fought back and now he was scared. He needed something, anything to wash his fears away with. He had a usual bar that he was headed toward, but something caught his attention instead that threw his entire night off-track.

On the right side of the street there was a wood and brick building. It looked old; the colors of the bricks were all muted, only colored by the wet layer of rain still pounding against its surface. There was a sign hanging above the door that read 'BAR: New Jofuku', illuminated from below with an orange light.

It was strange; something about the place was oddly alluring. Despite the fact that he was headed to an entirely different bar, he immediately pulled onto the other side of the street and parallel parked out front. He turned off his car and stepped out, soon becoming drenched by the pouring rain. He locked his car behind him and pushed the bar's door open without a word.

The inside of the bar was small, well-decorated, and homey; the walls were decorated with a brown, elegant wallpaper and the floor was a fresh wood texture. A number of pictures were hung around the place, displaying many places from around the prefecture which he recognized. The bar was the same material as the floor and it was populated by a large number of white barstools with small backs to them. Behind the bar was an enormous shelf stocked to the brim with all sorts of bottles, cans, and glasses. The place was empty aside from the bartender; not very surprising for a Wednesday night, but still a little strange.

The bartender in question was an old man with neck-length hair, a small mustache, and a long beard of the same grey color. He wore a white suit with a grey vest on top and was chewing on a piece of fried squid behind the bar. At the police chief's entry, he turned to the door with a wise smile. "Something bothering you?"

Sakai raised an eyebrow. "How can you tell?"

"When you're as old as I am, son, you can tell. Have a seat."

He sat down on one of the barstools and leaned onto the wooden countertop with a sigh. "I need a drink."

The old man swallowed the squid in his mouth and pulled a small glass out from under the table. "What can I get you?"

"The strongest thing I can get for the least amount."

He chuckled as he turned around and pulled a large bottle off the shelf. "Whatever happened to you must have been one hell of an experience."

"That's an understatement." He paused for a moment then looked over at the bartender. "Have you heard of the gang Dorami?"

"Dorami…" He pulled the cork off the bottle and started pouring the liquid inside into the glass. "It rings a bell, yes. I remember when they were a big deal. Some twenty years ago, I think." Of course, he knew more about Dorami than THAT, but he wasn't about to tell him that. He set the bottle down on the table and set the glass before the man.

Sakai immediately grabbed the cup and started chugging it, not even taking the time to taste it or feel it burn his tongue and throat. He soon brought an empty glass back down on the table with a satisfied exhale and pushed it toward the bartender, subtly asking for a refill. "Well, I hadn't even heard of them until yesterday when one of my officers pulled up their homepage on my computer."

He picked up the glass and raised an eyebrow toward him. "One of your officers?"

"Oh, right." He extended a hand toward the man. "Chief Sakai, head of the Karatsu Police Department."

"Ah." He shook his hand with an aged smile. "Welcome. I've heard good things about you." He released his hand and poured out some more alcohol for him. "So… Dorami."

"Yeah. The thing is…" He picked up the glass and swirled it around a bit. "I'm gonna sound crazy for this, but there are zombies in that gang. Five of them." He tilted his head back and started downing his drink again.

The bartender watched him silently, unmoving. He made no reaction to his comment and his body language hadn't shifted at all; his demeanor was unchanged, but his attention was now much more focused around this man as he had heard something that got his mind running. Dorami, the gang the legendary Saki Nikaido was from, suddenly had zombies within its ranks a month after he had resurrected her and six other girls. Quite an interesting coincidence. His mind ran wild with speculation.

He once again set his glass down on the counter and wiped his mouth. "I know it sounds insane and I didn't believe it until I saw it for myself. But sure enough, they were real. Green skin, no blood, glowing red eyes, the whole nine yards. And I was dumb enough to mess with them."

He took his glass and refilled it once again, picturing the seven girls he had revived only a month prior for one of his friends. As far as he knew, they were the only zombies in existence at the moment, and Sakai had just perfectly described them. They were probably all awake at this point, but he had figured that Tatsumi had started work on his project by now. Clearly, that wasn't the case. He set the glass down before him and continued watching him like a hawk. "Zombies, you say. Interesting. Tell me more."


	136. The Terror in the Night

Saki watched her fellow gang members run around the grassy lot, making the final preparations for the rally that was to start in less than a minute. She eyed them all for a few seconds then turned to the girl next to her. "You ready to do this?"

Maria nodded confidently. "You bet your ass I am."

She smiled proudly then glanced over her shoulder. "Reiko! What about you? You ready?"

Reiko let out a smirk and stepped away from the van with her arms crossed. "Ready as I'll ever be."

The three bikers, along with the rest of Dorami, were in a grassy lot just outside Imari holding yet another biannual Dorami rally. Things were proceeding just as they had before, but attendance had really ramped up this time due to the presence of zombies, so their production value had been increased to compensate. They had rented a small moving van to use as their stage and had plenty of speakers and wireless microphones as well so they could captivate the whole crowd.

The teenage Reiko stood next to the two and glanced over at her future daughter. "First time, right?"

She shrugged. "Yeah, but I can handle it."

"Reiko! Saki! Maria!" a red-and-orange-haired girl called out, jogging over to them. In her arms were three wireless microphones. "Here!"

Saki grabbed one and gave the girl a thumbs up. "Thanks, Thirteen!"

Reiko took a microphone then winked at Maria. "Just try to keep up, okay?"

She gave her a challenging smirk. "We'll see who's keepin' up with who in a minute." She snapped her fingers and pointed at a girl across the field. "Jackalope, intro us in!"

Naoko gave a thumbs up then looked down at the soundboard before her. She slid a few sliders and pressed a few buttons and soon, hard rock was blasting through the speakers. Then she turned to the zombie next to her and nodded.

Ai took a deep breath and held the microphone to her mouth with a wide grin. "Hey, Kyushu!" she yelled. "Who here's ready for a RALLY?!"

Immediately, the crowd behind the van turned into an amalgamation of hundreds of excited cheers. The cheering was almost loud enough to drown out the music.

"That's what I like to hear!" she beamed. "We have a whole day ahead of us filled to the brim with all sorts of exciting stuff, so we hope you're hyped for it!"

Saki turned and motioned for both bosses to climb up onto the truck. Each girl nodded and gathered a few girls on either side of them to give them a boost as soon as Ai gave the word.

"And here to kick things off are none other than Dorami's own Reiko Kirishima and Maria Amabuki!"

With that, the two girls were lifted onto the truck and each stood up and threw a fist in the air, causing the crowd to lose their collective minds. After a few seconds, Maria brought her microphone to her mouth and stepped forward. "How's it hanging, Kyushu?!" she shouted. "You ready?!"

"YOU'RE BREATHTAKING!" someone from the crowd shouted.

Her eyes bulged open and she looked down at the one who had yelled that, disgusted. "I'M FIFTEEN, YOU CREEP!"

Saki laughed at this comment. Naturally, someone with experience would just ignore that and it was pretty rare to have inexperienced people performing at the rallies, so hearing her friend scold the heckler like she did was hilarious.

Reiko chuckled and held up her own mic. "Alright, now before we get started, let's just see a headcount of how many of you have never been to a rally before!"

A large number of hands in the crowd flew up.

"Okay, okay, and how many of you only came for the zombies?"

Remarkably, even more hands than before were up.

"Well, let's get right to it!" she grinned. "We know what you came for!"

A wave of anticipation melted into the audience. Everyone was on the edge of their metaphorical seats. Saki took a few steps back.

Reiko glanced at Maria and gave a slight nod.

The girl smiled and looked out into the crowd. "HERE WE GO, KYUSHU! HERE COMES THE FIRST CAPTAIN OF DORAMI, THE LEADER OF THE KAMIKAZE SQUAD, THE LEGENDARY ZOMBIE BIKER, SAKI NIKAIDO!"

With that, Saki sprinted toward the van and took a running leap, effortlessly soaring up to it just as the beat dropped in the background music. She landed and immediately held the microphone to her mouth and pointed out into the sea of excited onlookers. "Yo, Kyushu! It's been a while!"

The crowd immediately exploded with excitement. People were jumping up and down, things were being thrown, and a few fights broke out.

She grinned from ear to ear and placed a hand on her hip, waiting for the excitement to die down. She glanced over at Maria, who seemed dumbfounded that people could get so excited over something that she had gotten so used to, then at Reiko, who was merely chuckling in mild amusement, then back out at her audience. However, her smile fell as she came across one person in particular.

Standing in the crowd, front and center, was none other than her old man.

As soon as her eyes locked with his, the entire world around her vanished. Gone was the music that rumbled through the air. Gone were her friends at either side of her. The van, the crowd, the sky, all gone. It was a black void, now with only two figures in it, father and daughter.

With the distractions gone, the old man growled evilly through gritted teeth. "Saki…"

Immediately, Saki was on the defensive. This situation was bizarre and unfamiliar; sure, she had seen him in her dreams before, she had just two nights ago. But now, he was the only thing here. He had derailed a regular dream and turned it on himself, which was new. She stepped back into a stance and put her hands up. "What the hell do you want, old man?!"

He scowled. "'OLD MAN'?! TREAT YOUR FATHER WITH SOME RESPECT, YOU STUPID BRAT! I BROUGHT YOU INTO THIS WORLD, IT'S THE LEAST YOU COULD DO!"

Her aggressive demeanor instinctively disappeared the second he raised his voice. Though she remained in her stance, it was much, much weaker. She looked to the side. "Sorry, dad."

"DAMN RIGHT!" He pulled a bottle of booze out from behind his back and took a long swig. Once he was done, he wiped his mouth and glared back up at her. After a long moment of silent staring, he began marching up an invisible staircase toward her.

She ever so slowly took a few steps back as he approached in an effort to keep her distance from him. She was obviously doing her best to not provoke him; the last thing she wanted right now was for him to throw his bottle at her.

Once he reached the top, he continued staring at her for a long few seconds before clenching his fists. "It's been a long time," he muttered angrily. "Twenty-four years."

She kept her mouth shut but her sight still centered on his orange, hateful eyes. Her breathing was heavy and slow; she was doing her damnedest to keep herself calm in the presence of the man who had brutally murdered her mother.

"You look disgusting," he smirked. "Not so pretty now, are you?"

She scowled in odium as he pointed out the fact that she was a zombie now. It was a massive and obvious change of physiognomy, but she knew that wasn't the real reason he was saying that. He wasn't just making a backhanded observation.

"I always hated the way she pampered you," he hissed. "You didn't deserve any of that." He raised his bottle to his mouth again and took a long drink. Swallow after swallow of beer went down his throat and he didn't bring the bottle back down again until there was nothing left. Once he did, though, he paused for a second then hurled it toward the zombie at full force. "RAAAH!"

Saki flinched at the old man's sudden outburst and swerved her head out of the way just in time for the bottle to whizz past her head into the void. Her eyes shot briefly to where it had gone, but immediately after turned back to him. "W-what did I do?" she stuttered out in genuine shock.

"SHUT UP!" he exploded. "DON'T TALK BACK TO ME, YOU ROTTEN CHILD!" He marched toward her with nothing but rage in his eyes. "YOU KNOW EXACTLY WHAT YOU DID!"

Her breathing increased in intensity as she wracked her brain, thinking of what she possibly could have done to tick him off in the minute the two had begrudgingly shared together. She started taking slow, shaky steps back without another word.

"DON'T MAKE ME SPELL IT OUT FOR YOU!" he shouted, pointing a seething finger toward her. "I KNOW YOU'RE STUPID, BUT THERE'S NO WAY YOU CAN'T KNOW!"

"I-I don't…!"

He stopped for a second and stared at her with inconceivable vitriol. "You stupid child…" He pointed to her side. "THAT GIRL!"

 _Huh?!_ Her head swiveled to the side to see Maria standing beside her, still reacting to the now nonexistent crowd, frozen in time. Her eyes widened as she suddenly realized exactly why he was mad. She looked back at him, a terrible feeling forming in her chest. "I-I didn't tell her anything!" she desperately cried. "She went behind my back and researched it!"

He already had a second bottle in hand. "I DON'T CARE HOW SHE FOUND OUT!" he practically screamed. "WHAT MATTERS IS THAT SHE DID!" He raised the bottle over his head once again and in an instant was upon her. He placed one hand firmly on her shoulder and swung at her.

Her fighting experience immediately kicked in and she swung her head back to dodge the bottle. She felt and heard multiple snaps go off in her neck as her head went so far back that it bent her spine unnaturally. Once the bottle was past her head, she tilted it back up and tore his hand from her shoulder. She shoved him away then jumped backwards, her defense back up. "DON'T TOUCH ME!" she ordered.

This only seemed to provoke him even further. "YOU LITTLE PIECE OF SHIT! DON'T YOU KNOW WHEN TO STAND STILL?!"

"LISTEN, I'M SORRY THAT SHE FOUND OUT, BUT IT'S NOT MY FAULT!"

He stared at her for a long, quiet moment then squinted. "'Not your fault'? Everything bad that's ever happened to this family is YOUR FAULT!" he roared. He smashed his bottle into the ground, sending glass shards everywhere. "OUR LIVES WERE PERFECT UNTIL YOU HAPPENED!" He stood back up at his full height, now with the same evil look on his face as before. "RATS LIKE YOU NEED TO LEARN THEIR PLACE!"

"I DIDN'T RAT YOU OUT!" she yelled, clear distress in her voice. "YOU AREN'T EVEN LISTENING!"

"NO, YOU AREN'T LISTENING!" he fired back, now storming toward her. "YOU SHOULD BE LISTENING TO WHAT I TAUGHT YOU BACK THEN!" He raised both hands toward her, making a strangling emotion. "YOU DON'T DESERVE TO BE LOVED! NO ONE SHOULD HAVE TO CARE ABOUT YOU! THE ONLY THING YOU DESERVE…" He reached behind his back and pulled out a silver revolver. He then pointed the barrel straight at her forehead. "IS THIS!" With that, he pulled the trigger, making a deafening _BANG_.

"GAAAAAH!" Saki screamed as she shot up, her eyes clenched shut. Suddenly, she was sitting down on something soft and puffy. After a long minute of agonizing tension, she slowly reopened her eyes and soon came to the realization that she was back in her and Lily's room and the old man was nowhere to be found. She stared at the wall across from her for a long, quiet moment, the only sound in the air that of an owl hooting outside the window. _It was just a dream…_ She took a slow deep breath. _I'm okay. It was just a dream._ She brought her hands up to her forehead and wiped herself off; a layer of sweat had found its way onto her face in her sleep. She wiped her hands off on her covers then hung her head in front of her. _I'm okay._

"Saki-chan…?"

She slowly looked over her shoulder to see a pair of concerned red eyes glowing in the dark. "Uh, hey…"

Lily grabbed onto her covers and pulled them into her chest. "Are you okay?"

She nodded. "Yeah, I'm okay. It was just a bad dream."

She cocked her head. "About what?"

Suddenly, the door creaked open gently, revealing a third set of glowing red eyes. "What's going on in here?" asked Ai.

Saki glanced at the door, groaned, and facepalmed. "Aw, damn, I woke up you, too?"

"Saki-chan had a bad dream," Lily explained.

"Oh…" She stepped into the room and placed a hand on the blonde's shoulder. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine, it's just…" She paused for a moment then turned to the bandaged girl behind her. "Can you grab Junko for me?"

She blinked in visible confusion, but complied regardless. "Um, sure." She stood up, turned around, and walked back out of the room.

Lily watched her sister exit then turned to the girl on the bed. "What're you getting Junko-chan for?"

"I wanna talk to her," she answered, turning back to the wall in front of her. "Feels good when I tell her about that stuff."

"Oh…" She looked down for a moment then back up at her. "Was it… about your old man?"

She nodded without even looking back at her.

After a minute or so of waiting, Junko soon entered through the door, Ai behind her. "Saki, are you okay? I heard you had a nightmare."

She simply patted the air mattress next to her, inviting her to sit.

She slowly stepped onto the mattress and took a seat beside her. She crossed her legs and put her hands in her lap. "Was it about… that?"

"Yeah."

She gently wrapped her arm around her and whispered lovingly. "It's not your fault. There's nothing you could have done."

She shook her head. "No, it wasn't that. It was just… me and the old man, talking."

"Oh…"

"Well, not really talking. It was really just him yellin' at me about stuff." She sighed and leaned into her. "He ended up pulling the gun on me. The same one he used to shoot mom."

She wrapped her other arm around her and pulled her into a tight hug. "That must have been terrible."

She tilted her head over and rested it on her sister's shoulder. She sat there silently for a few moments, just enjoying the embrace, before asking a question. "Hey, I get why you care about me, but… why do you think I deserve that?"

She gently ran her fingers through her mangled hair. "Everyone deserves to be cared about, regardless of their circumstances, or their actions, or their choices. You're no exception. If anything, I'd say you deserve it even more than most people do."

She blinked. "Why?"

"Because he deprived you of it for all those years. He somehow managed to convince you that you didn't deserve it and that no one cared about you at all, not even your closest friends. But that's not true and it's terrible that that's the way you think." She rubbed her back slowly. "The way he acted was not the way a father should act. Not in the slightest."

"But… what if he had a good reason?"

She shook her head. "He didn't. There's no reason good enough to merit abusing a child like that. He failed you as a father." She paused for a moment then pulled out of the hug. "But that's why we're here."

Ai knelt down on the side of the bed. "We're here to help you. Just remember, anytime you need to talk to someone, any of us are here for you.

Saki nodded, a grateful smile appearing on her face. "Right. Thanks."

"Are you feeling better?" Junko questioned.

"Yeah." She placed a hand on her shoulder and shook it in a show of affection. "Thanks, sis."

She smiled warmly. "You're welcome." She stood up and looked down at the blonde. "Well, I'm going to go back to bed. You should try to do the same."

She waved a hand nonchalantly. "Yeah, yeah, whatever. Just get outta here."

She chuckled and walked out of the room. "Goodnight, Saki. Goodnight, Lily."

"Night, you two," Ai added, following close behind.

"Goodnight," Lily replied.

"Night," Saki concluded. She watched her two sisters exit then turned back to the wall in front of her. _Well…_ She laid back down, her arms now sprawled out. _Dunno how I'm gonna get back to sleep after THAT…_ She let out a sigh and stared at the ceiling fan spinning overhead. _What if they're right about him? What does that mean for me?_

"Are you sure you're okay?" asked Lily.

She snapped back to reality with the concern of her sister next to her. She waved a hand nonchalantly. "Yeah, don't worry. I'm fine. Dunno how I'm gonna fall back asleep, though. Might just stay up all night."

She paused for a moment then scooted over in bed. "Hey, Saki-chan. Come here."

"What?" She glanced over at her and slowly rose to her feet.

She patted the bed next to her and pulled her covers back. "Lay down."

She raised an eyebrow but did as she was told and laid down on her bed. "Okay, now what?"

She tossed the covers back over them and scooted over to her sister's side. She wrapped an arm around her and rested her head back down on the pillow. "Now you can sleep okay, 'cause I'll be right here next to you if you have another bad dream."

A small smile crept its way onto her face and she relaxed into the bed with the child beside her. She forced an arm under her neck and wrapped it around her back to pull her in close. "Thanks, Lily." She gently closed her eyes once again and took a deep, peaceful breath.

"Hey, Saki-chan…"

"Yeah?"

"Don't tell Ai-chan or Junko-chan, but you're my favorite."

She couldn't help but snicker at this. "Alright, I won't tell. Night, kid."

"Goodnight."


	137. The Tension Over Waffles

Junko squealed in adoration. "Oh my gosh, they're so cute!"

"I thought you might say that," Ai replied with a slight chuckle.

"Hold on, I'm going to get my phone so we can take a picture before they wake up!" she announced in a hushed tone as she ran out the room.

Saki's eyes slowly pried themselves open at the sound of her two sisters talking amongst themselves. As her eyes adjusted to being awake and focused on the image before her, she was greeted with the smiling yet dozing face of Lily mere inches away. Her arm was pinned under her neck and one of her legs was draped over the child's. _Ah, damn… guess it's morning…_ She had just barely started to sit up when she heard a near-silent voice.

"Don't move," Lily whispered as quietly as she could. "Act like you're still asleep."

She froze where she was and slowly closed her eyes again. She put her head back down on the pillow and whispered back. "You wanna scare 'em?"

She let out a small puff of air through her nose to indicate laughter then replied. "After the picture."

She did her best to conceal an excited grin. _Oh, man, this is gonna be hilarious._ "Alright, when I say go."

"Okay."

After a moment, Junko soon reentered, now holding her smartphone in one hand. She stood beside the bed and held the phone sideways a short distance from her face. "Let's see…" She tapped on the screen a few times before the camera shutter sound played and she relaxed. "I got it."

"Let me see," Ai requested.

"Hold on… where do I… wait, here it is."

A smirk spread across Saki's face and she started counting down in a low, hushed voice. "Alright, ready? In three, two…"

Ai smiled at the image onscreen. "I have to admit, when it's like this, it does look pretty cu-"

Suddenly, the two girls in bed shot up and turned to the girls before them. "RAAAAHHHH!" they roared in unison, each throwing their hands up toward them with excited grins.

"YAHUEAAHHH!" both Ai and Junko screamed at the top of their lungs. Their terrified eyes shot to the two zombies in bed and they each pulled their arms in close to their chests. Junko even dropped her phone to the ground.

A couple seconds later, all the sound died down and Saki and Lily immediately began cracking up. Saki pointed toward the two and slapped her knee. "Did you- did you see the look on their faces?!" she asked between fits of laughter.

Lily nodded, also laughing. "I did! I did!"

Ai's face returned to normal as she processed the situation then she frowned angrily, threw her arms down to her sides, and clenched her fists. "What's your problem?! Were you awake that whole time?!"

"Yup!" she grinned cutely. "Ever since before you went and got Junko-chan!"

Saki looked down at her, her eyebrows raised. "Damn, really? I didn't wake up until she went to get her phone!"

Junko finally eased up and let out a sigh of release. Without a word, she bent down and picked up her phone from the air mattress.

Ai crossed her arms and glared at the two girls in bed. "Was scaring us really necessary? What did that accomplish?"

Saki snickered and put her hands up. "Hey, relax, Ai! It's just a prank!"

Lily rose to her feet and waltzed across the bed over to the nightstand where her phone was. "Don't bother, Saki-chan. She thinks it's funny, she just won't admit it."

Ai's gaze shot to the child and the look on her face made it apparent that she was even more flustered than before. "What?! No, I don't!"

She sat down on the edge of the bed and started going through her phone with a smug smirk. "You're not very good at acting, Ai-chan. I can read you like a book."

Junko chuckled and gently placed a hand on Ai's. "Oh, lighten up. It was a harmless joke."

She glanced down at the hand on her own, blushed lightly, and looked away. "Whatever."

With her lover sated, she turned to Saki. "We came up here to let you know that breakfast is almost ready if you want it."

Her face lit up and she launched herself off the bed. "Hell yeah, I want it!" She landed between the girls and the door and put her arms behind her head as she walked backwards toward the hallway. "What's on the menu?"

"Waffles."

"Ooh, nice!"

Lily hopped up from her place on the bed, grabbed the second phone on the nightstand, and skipped after her sister. "Here, Saki-chan! You forgot your phone!"

She squinted. "What? No I didn't. Why would I need it to eat breakfast?"

"People take their phones with them everywhere now! They're super useful and cool!"

She paused for a second then shrugged and took the smartphone from her hand. "Alright, fine." She slipped it into her pocket, turned around, placed a hand on the balcony overlooking the foyer, and leapt over, casually falling a story to the ground below. She landed with a slight grunt then crossed her arms as she watched her companions all take the stairs. _Damn slowpokes._

"Why bother going over the railing if you're just going to wait for us to get down anyways?" Ai asked.

"You wanna die?"

She rolled her eyes as she reached the bottom of the stairs and turned toward her, still walking at her leisurely pace. "You really should try to come up with a new catchphrase."

"Or at least don't use that one on us, since we're already dead," Junko pointed out.

"Well, she's dead, too, so it's easy to just point out how ironic that is and make her look stupid," Lily added.

"Exactly," Ai concurred. "The comeback is too obvious."

She sulked in response to all three of them trashing her catchphrase. "You guys suck."

Junko chuckled as she passed her. "If pointing out the obvious makes us suck, then yes, we suck."

She turned and followed her sisters down the hall, her arms back behind her head. "Well, whatever. Let's just eat already." She was led through the door to the combination kitchen, living room, and dining room and glanced to her left. She was expecting to see just a plate or four of waffles, maybe some syrup and some fruit, too, but what she saw instead immediately made her uncomfortable.

Takeo stood in front of the kitchen counter, one hand on the waffle iron. He turned to the girls with a warm smile. "Ah, there you two are! Good morning!"

Lily beamed in response. "Pappy! What're you doing here? I thought you'd be at work by now!"

He shook his head. "What kind of father would I be if I didn't treat my daughters to a nice breakfast the morning after I adopted them? Work can wait. You all are more important." He seemed to be looking directly at Saki when he said this, which confused her.

She blinked and stared up at the man who thought he was her father. _What? Why the hell would making us breakfast be more important?_ She scratched the side of her head and pondered. _Doesn't he have better stuff to do?_

He motioned toward the dining room table. "Well, go ahead and have a seat, girls. I'll have your breakfasts ready in a minute."

"Thank you, Takeo-san," Junko smiled, immediately retracting that smile to correct her mistake. "I-I mean, dad!"

He put up a hand to ease her worries. "Relax. I don't mind being called by my name while you get used to it. This is new for all of us."

She paused for a second then nodded. "Right." She turned and walked over to the table, followed by Ai and Lily. She and Ai took a seat on the side of the table opposite Takeo while Lily sat with her back to him.

Saki made her way to the table wordlessly and paused as she saw the one remaining chair beside Lily. She glanced over her shoulder at Takeo then took the chair and slid it to the side of the table next to Ai so that her back wasn't exposed before finally taking a seat.

Lily noticed that she had moved and looked over at her with a sad frown. "Don't you wanna sit next to me, Saki-chan?"

"Huh? Oh, no, it's not that, it's just…" She shot another glance at Takeo then turned her eyes back to the child.

The child's eyes followed hers for a second then she turned back to her with a confused look on her face. "What? It's just Pappy."

She crossed her arms and looked down. "Yeah, I know."

She cocked her head but kept her mouth shut. After a moment of silent thinking, her face seemed to shift into one of sorrowful understanding.

Ai watched the two being awkward for a second then moved to change the subject. "So, um, have you guys seen any good YouTube videos recently?"

Junko turned to her with an excited gasp. "Oh, I forgot to tell you, I saw one of your performances last night! On YouTube!"

Her eyebrows shot up and she turned to her, surprised. "You mean from Iron Frill?"

"Yes! It was very exciting. You had so much energy… Though your songs weren't exactly my cup of tea, your dancing was very nice. I would have loved to attend one of your concerts in person."

A light blush spread across her face and she looked away. "Junko, oh my god, stop it…"

She chuckled. "You're too easy to embarrass."

"I am not…"

"Oh, really?" She leaned over and swiftly planted a kiss on the bandaged girl's cheek.

Ai's eyes shot open in response to this kiss and her cheeks became a bright, flustered pink. Her whole body tensed up as well, which seemed out of place with the fact that she was slowly turning back over to her. She stared at her for a long, quiet moment, clearly struggling to keep a straight face. "S-stop it."

She gave her a knowing smirk. "Are you trying to prove me wrong?"

"Y-you are wrong."

"Oh? Then you wouldn't mind if I…" She leaned forward and planted another kiss on her, this time on the nose.

By now, her eyebrows were quivering and her lip was trembling. Her face was also so pink that it almost looked as if she was wearing makeup. "C-cut that out."

Saki pointed a finger at her and laughed. "Ha! Look at her face! She's totally embarrassed!"

"I am not!" she protested yet again, swiveling her head toward her.

"That's not what your face says," Lily remarked.

She turned to glare at the child. "W-what do you know?! It's not like-" She was cut off, however, as Junko grabbed the sides of her head with both hands and pulled her into a full-on kiss on the lips.

Saki and Lily's jaws dropped and they eagerly turned between the two and each other in a state of pure awe.

After a few seconds, Ai pulled her head out of the kiss and stared at the girl beside her for a few seconds before burying her face in her hands. "Oh my GOD, Junko…"

Saki pounded on the table with her fist and cheered. "THERE IT IS!"

Takeo looked at the girls over his shoulder and let out a light chuckle. "Are you three teasing poor Ai?"

Saki's whole body tensed up at hearing his voice again. With all the commotion between Ai and Junko, she'd somehow forgotten that he was there. She turned back forward so she could see him in her peripheral vision and answered quickly. "No, I'm not!"

Junko and Lily turned to stare at her in confused surprise. After a few seconds, Junko leaned across the table and placed a hand on her shoulder. "Relax. He's not upset. He was laughing, too."

She blinked and glanced at the man out the corner of her eye. "He was?"

"Yeah…" Lily concurred. "Pappy isn't as bad as you think."

She stared at the child for a second then brought her right hand up to the side of her head to act as a blinder so she couldn't see him anymore. Then she leaned forward and whispered to her. "It's not that I think he's bad, okay? I know he's a good dude. But something about him trying to be my dad or whatever… it sets me off."

"That's understandable," Junko nodded. "You haven't had a good experience thus far with fathers. It's only natural for you to be cautious. That said, you should at least try to step out of your comfort zone a little bit."

"I already am," she growled back. "I didn't want him to 'adopt' me in the first place."

She hesitated for a second then slowly removed her hand from her shoulder. "Okay."

There was a long moment of silent tension until Takeo spoke up. "So, how did everyone sleep?"

"Fine," Saki lied.

"That's good to hear." He flipped over the waffle iron's handle and pressed a button on the side, revealing a fully-cooked pastry within. "Breakfast is almost ready. What do you all want on your waffles?"

"Lots of syrup, please!" Lily cheered.

Ai pulled her head out of her hands. "Just syrup is fine."

"Syrup, and then do we have any fruit?" Junko questioned.

"Hmm…" Takeo stepped to the side and opened the fridge. "We have strawberries, bananas, avocados, and grapes."

"Then I'd like some strawberries on mine as well as syrup, please."

He nodded and pulled a clear plastic container of strawberries out of the fridge. "Saki, what about you?"

"Uhh… just syrup," she answered, the uncertainty in her voice loud and clear.

He paused for a moment and glanced at her over his shoulder, but didn't say anything. After a second, he turned back forward and picked up the syrup bottle. He doused each of the four waffles before him in a fair amount of syrup, set the bottle down, and picked up three plates: one in each hand and one supported by his forearms. He also grabbed some forks while he was at it. He walked them over to the table and bent over to set them down before them. "Here we go…"

Lily beamed and immediately dug in. "Thank you, Pappy!"

Saki ever so slightly leaned away from him as the waffle was placed in front of her. It wasn't doused in nearly as much syrup as she'd hoped for, but she kept her mouth shut.

Takeo placed Ai's waffle down then turned to Junko. "I'll have yours in just a second."

She waved a hand. "No worries. Take as long as you need."

Saki watched the man stand back up and make his way back to the sink. She looked down at her waffle, picked up her fork, and gently prodded at it. The waffle's surface was firm, yet soft; it was cooked perfectly. Despite this, for some reason, she couldn't bring herself to eat it. And not just because it didn't have as much syrup as she was used to.

"Saki?" Ai asked, snapping her out of her funk, "Are you okay? You usually devour your food the second you get it."

She looked over at her for a second then back down at the waffle. "I dunno… this whole thing is just… weird."

She raised an eyebrow. "Weird how?"

"I mean, like… why'd he stay home to make us breakfast? I don't get it. Doesn't he have better things to do?"

She blinked. "Well, I mean, it is a special occasion. It's the morning after he adopted us, remember?"

"Well, yeah, but… still. He's got better things to do, right?"

She stared at her for a second then slowly lifted a piece of her waffle to her mouth. "Why don't you just ask him? He's right there."

She stared blankly at her. "Why the hell would I do that? You think I'm stupid?"

Junko leaned over and cocked her head. "You're afraid to ask Takeo-san a question?"

"I'm not afraid to, I just don't want to." She crossed her arms. "If you want me to ask so bad, why don't you just do it yourself?"

"Okay." Ai looked toward the man. "Hey, Tak- Dad, do you mind if I ask you something?"

He looked over his shoulder at her with a warm smile. "Anything."

She tilted her head toward Saki. "Saki wants to know why you're making us breakfast. Don't you have better things to do?"

Saki stared daggers at her for directing the question toward her. _C'mon, Bandages! What's your problem?!_

"Why am I making you breakfast?" Takeo repeated. "Hmm… I guess I do have better things to do, but they aren't as high on my priority list as making you all as comfortable as possible." He turned around the rest of the way. "Why didn't she ask me herself?"

She blinked and looked back at Takeo. _Huh? He's not mad?_

"She seems afraid to ask you a question," Junko stated. "Perhaps you could ease her worries?"

"I'd be happy to." He turned back around briefly to set the knife he was using to cut the strawberries back on the counter then made his way back over to the table. He took a knee between Saki and Lily.

Saki ever so slightly inched away as he knelt down beside her and she watched him like a hawk.

"Saki," he started, "I understand that, when you were younger, you might have been… discouraged from asking about your surroundings. But now, things are different. I don't want you to be afraid to speak your mind. I promise, there isn't a question in the world you could ask that would make me mad. I want you to be as comfortable as possible and that's not going to happen without a handful of questions. If something strikes you as strange or there's something you want to know or you need something, please don't hesitate to ask."

She stared at him for a second in surprise. "For real?"

He nodded. "For real. A real father encourages you to ask questions. I want you to ask to your heart's content."

"Uhhh… okay, then, I guess…" She gulped. "Why're you making us breakfast again?"

"Because your comfort is more important to me than anything else I could be doing right now."

She blinked. "It is?"

He nodded. "Of course."

"Why?"

His eyebrows raised slightly at this question and he paused for a moment. After a few seconds of silent pondering, he brought his hands up to help explain. "Okay, let me explain it like this. You know how, when you do something nice for someone, it feels good?"

"I guess so, yeah."

He gestured with his hands as he spoke. "That's the essence of what I'm trying to do here. If I can make your day even the slightest bit more enjoyable, it makes me feel good. Providing you with something, even if you could take care of it yourself, is gratifying. I'd much rather stay home and cook for you to see you happy than go to work and not see you at all."

"You would?"

He nodded again. "I would."

"Aww…" Lily leaned over and rested her head on the man's shoulder. "You're so nice to us, Pappy…"

He looked over at the child on his shoulder and chuckled as he ruffled up her already messy hair. "I'm just doing what I ought to." He paused for a moment before turning back to Saki. "Do you have any more questions you'd like to ask?"

"Uhhh…" She briefly glanced down at her waffle then looked back up at him. "Can I get some more syrup?"

He pushed Lily's head back, rose to his feet, and took her plate. "Sure thing." He turned around and walked back over to the counter from whence he came.

Saki watched him for a second then looked down at the table. _A real father encourages questions…? But the old man HATED when I asked questions._ She stared at the fork on the wood surface and rested her head on her fist. "Hm." _  
_

"Saki, is this enough syrup for you?"

She looked up to see Takeo holding her plate, which was now absolutely drenched in syrup. "Yeah, that's good. Thanks."

He smiled gently and walked the plate back over to her. He placed it before her and looked down at her fondly. "You're welcome. Please let me know if you need anything else."

She looked up at him for a minute then slowly nodded. "Okay." She watched him return to the counter to cut up some strawberries then plunged her fork into the now spongy waffle. _The old man would never do something like this for me… What's Takeo's deal?_


	138. The Circumvention

Sakura sat back on her bike, which was in the middle of a two-lane road going a leisurely speed of 95 km/h, her hair and her jacket flowing behind her as she watched the cars fly by on either side without a care in the world. She didn't mind overcast mornings very much; sure, it was nice to be in the sun and all, but it can be pretty refreshing to feel the cool breeze of a dark and cloudy morning. But the nice weather wasn't really what she was excited for; she really couldn't wait to see her two friends side by side once again thanks to the apology she'd helped Maria craft. It was only a matter of time before the two would be hugging, apologizing to each other, and forging a stronger friendship than ever before. Or so she hoped.

Before long, the park she was looking for came into view. She pulled back on the handlebars and leaned backward, skidding across the ground to a perfect stop just outside the park. She stood back up at her full height, took a second to fix her hair, then looked around for the two girls the gang was supposed to recruit today. She soon saw them, along with one other girl, sitting on a bench near a water fountain. _Ah, there they are!_ She turned off her bike, set down the kickstand, and waved at the girls excitedly. "Over here!"

The three girls, two of which she recognized, were already looking in her direction. At her request, the twins stood up and started walking over to where she was with their hands in their pockets.

She gleefully met them halfway and bowed. "Good morning! I'm Sakura Minamoto, but you can call me Blackout if you'd like!" She raised back up, pushed her glasses up on her face, and grinned from ear to ear. "I'm so glad you're joining Dorami! I think you're really gonna like it! I know I do!"

"Uh, thanks," Emi replied, taking a much more uncomfortable bow with her sister. "Emi and Hana Matsuoka. Nice to meet you."

"Oh, you don't have to bow!" she chuckled. "Technically, you and I are the same rank!"

"Oh, good. We hate bowing." She wiped her nose and looked around the lot. "So, uh… where's everyone else? We thought there were six of you."

"Oh, there are! I'm just always either the first or the second one here."

"Oh, okay." She paused for a moment then gave her a questioning look. "How often do you check the email?"

She blinked. "Huh? About twice a day or so… Why?"

"I'm just asking 'cause we sent an email yesterday asking if we could bring another person who wanted to join but you guys didn't reply." She pointed over her shoulder at the third girl. "So we did it anyways."

"Oh, right! Sorry about that! A lot happened yesterday, and I guess we got all caught up in the moment and just forgot about it!" She glanced at the girl and gestured for her to come closer with a sweet smile.

She rose to her feet and strut over to her, one fist on her hip and the other hanging at her side, her long, red hair bouncing with each step she took. Once she arrived, she looked Sakura up and down and put on an interested expression. "So, you're, like, actually a zombie, huh?"

She was caught off-guard by the girl's choice of introduction and her eyebrows shot up. "Um, yeah, I am…"

"Huh. So, do you, like, eat brains, then?"

She gasped. "What? No!"

"So what do you eat?"

"Regular food!" She let out an annoyed sigh. "We're not very similar to the zombies you'd see in a movie or something, you know… We're just people, but our bodies are a bit different. That's all."

"Well, your video isn't really doing you any favors, then." She paused for a moment then shrugged. "But I guess that's the point. You want people to be afraid of you, right?"

"Yeah, actually, that's why we did it like that! People are a lot more scared of zombies than they are regular people in a zombie's body, so Lily-chan thought it would be best for us to kind of embrace the…" She let her voice trail off as she heard the unmistakable sound of motorcycle engines coming nearer. She turned back toward the entrance just in time to see four bikes pull up beside hers. She gasped and raised a hand over her head. "Hi, guys!"

The four stepped off their bikes and all greeted her in their own way. "'Sup, Blackout?" "Hi, Sakura!" "Hi, Sakura-chan!" "Hi, Sakura-san!" They all walked over together, each with their own optimistic smile on their face. On arrival, Saki grinned and looked at the twins proudly. "What's up, newbies?! You ready?"

They nodded in perfect sync, but only Emi spoke. "You bet."

She turned to the third girl and immediately frowned. "Who the hell are you? Whaddya want?"

She gave her a confident smile. "Sachio Osada. Here to join Dorami."

Upon hearing this, her frown immediately turned back into a grin. "Aw, hell yeah!" she cheered. "Another one!"

"Yay!" Lily added.

"Don't get too excited," Ai reminded them, "we still have to see if she's fit for it. Once Maria gets here, we'll probably go through the same process we went through with these two."

Saki's face immediately fell as she was reminded of Maria. She mouthed something unintelligible to herself and stared off into space.

Junko looked over at Sakura with a concerned expression. "Where is Maria? She's usually here before us."

"You don't think she quit 'cause of what happened yesterday, do you?" Lily worried.

Sakura put both her hands up to reassure them. "Oh, don't worry! I'm sure she's just running a little late!" She glanced at Saki briefly then leaned forward to whisper to them. "She's actually planning to talk to Saki-chan again now that she's had some time to calm down." She looked up at Junko. "Is she still feeling the same way about her as she was yesterday?"

She blinked. "I haven't asked. Does she already know what she's going to say?"

"Yup! She and I spent a lot of time last night practicing! I think it's all gonna turn out okay!"

A smile spread across Lily's face. "You think so, Sakura-chan?"

She nodded. "Pretty soon, they'll be back to the way they were before this whole mess happened!"

"Yay!"

"The hell is this thing?"

The three looked over to see Saki standing next to Emi holding a small grey plastic box in her hand. Junko cocked her head. "What is that?"

"I dunno! That's what I'm tryin' to figure out!"

"That's a GPS receiver," Emi explained. She pulled her phone out of her pocket and started tapping on it. "I made it myself, so I only have one right now, but I can make more."

"That doesn't explain anything! The hell's a GPS receiver?!"

She looked up at her for a second. "It's a little box that communicates with the satellites to tell us where it is. If you install it into your bike, we'll be able to tell where it is in case it gets stolen."

"Satellites?" Junko asked. "You mean like the one the Americans used to walk on the moon? I remember when that happened!"

Lily gasped and rushed over to her. "You remember the moon landing, Junko-chan?!"

"Of course! I remember waking up early to watch them on television! It was truly breathtaking. I had to have been four or five at the time they did the first one."

Emi paused and looked up at her with a disturbed expression. "How old are you?"

"She's the oldest one," Ai answered. "How do we see where the bike is?"

"Oh, here." She turned around her phone screen to display an overhead picture of the park. A blue dot was near the entrance right around where they were standing. "This will show you where you are."

Saki stared at the phone for a second then looked back at the box. "So, wait. If I move with this thing, that dot will know where I am?"

"Exactly."

Her eyes lit up with childlike wonder and she suddenly bolted from the scene, box in hand. She sprinted across the park to the other side then turned around. "Did it move?!"

All the zombies' eyes were glued to the phone screen and they all watched as, with a slight delay, the dot followed her movements. Junko gasped and took the phone in her hands. "Do you mind if I borrow this?"

Emi shrugged. "Just don't break it."

With a wide smile, she rushed after her, excitedly announcing that the dot had in fact copied her perfectly.

Ai watched the two swoon over the box and the phone with a slight chuckle. "Maria's right. They really are old-timers."

"You'd think they'd be used to it by now…" Lily added, watching as the two ran from place to place observing the strange phenomenon that is the Global Positioning System. "Didn't they have that stuff when they were alive?"

"I'm pretty sure they did…" Sakura scratched the side of her head with a thinking expression. "Or, at least they did for as long as I can remember, which overlaps with Saki-chan's life a little bit."

Ai paused for a second then brought her hand to her chin. "Hm. I guess you're right. It totally did exist when she was alive."

"Maybe she never knew about it because she never needed it!" Lily exclaimed. "I bet Saki-chan knows Kyushu so well that she never even needed a map!"

She glanced down at her with a smug expression. "Not even when she was still learning?"

"Nope! She just always knew!"

Sakura giggled and bent down slightly to be on the child's level. "I bet you're right, Lily-chan."

"This thing is AWESOME!" Saki cheered from across the park. She turned to Junko. "Watch the screen! I'm gonna run down the street and you tell me how far I went when I come back!" She then ran toward one of the fences on the outside of the park and leapt over it.

"…And she's gone," Ai remarked.

"Whoa! She just jumped over the fence!" Sachio pointed.

"You think that's good?" Emi shot back, "You should have seen the backflip she did during our test!"

"Eh, she's done better," Lily shrugged.

There was the sudden revving of an engine off in the distance.

"Oh! That must be Maria-chan!" Sakura gasped as she turned around and eagerly watched the entrance to the park.

Out of seemingly nowhere, Maria sped into view and turned her bike sideways. Her tires let out a sharp _screech_ as she slid across the asphalt, but she eventually stopped right next to Lily's bike. She looked up at the crew for a second, stepped off her bike, reached into the storage compartment, and produced two red jackets. She slipped her handcuffed hand in her pocket and walked toward the group. "Sorry I'm late. I forgot the jackets and had to go back for them."

"No, no, no, you're fine!" Sakura assured her.

"Hi, Maria-chan!" Lily waved.

She gave the child a cocky smile. "Hey, Shrimpy." She looked around the park. "So, uh, where's-" She stopped herself as her eyes came across Sachio. Her eyebrows lowered and she put on her menacing expression. "Who the hell are you? Whaddya want?"

"Sachio Osada. Here to join Dorami."

Her face immediately turned to pleasant surprise. "Oh, cool! Just give us a minute, okay?" She turned to the twins and tossed each of them a jacket. "Hold onto these for now. We'll get the rest of your uniforms in a bit." She continued scanning the park for her friend. "Now, where's Saki?"

"She sort of jumped over the fence," Sakura answered. "Just now."

She turned to her, a concerned expression beside her bruise from yesterday. "What? She did? Seriously?"

"Yeah…"

She let out an annoyed groan. "Great, so she's avoiding me. How the hell are we supposed to run a gang when the number two won't even talk to the number one?"

Emi's skeptical eyes shot between members of the group. "Uh, what? You guys have some kinda drama going on?"

She waved a hand. "Don't worry about it. If I handle this right, it shouldn't be a problem for much longer." She looked at the zombies before her. "So, what, she heard me coming and just bolted?"

"Actually, she's messing with a GPS thing," Lily clarified. "She and Junko-chan were freaking out over it and she told her to see how far she can run."

"Oh." Her eyes turned to Junko, who was still standing there and staring at the screen of the phone. "Yo, Marshmallow! C'mere!"

She looked up at her and walked over with a warm smile. "Good morning, Maria-san. How are you?"

"I'm fine. Where's Saki?"

She looked down at the phone in her hand. "It looks like she just crossed the bridge down the road."

She let out yet another groan and dragged her hand down her face. "Okay, can one of you go get her, then? We don't have time for this."

Ai flipped open her phone and started pressing some buttons. "I'll call her." She turned away from the group and held the phone to her ear.

"Well, on the bright side, she isn't avoiding you," Sakura said optimistically.

She nodded and crossed her arms. "Yeah. Still a pain in the ass, though."

"Well, as soon as you talk to her, this whole mess will be over with."

Suddenly, the girl on the phone spoke. "Hey. It's Ai. You need to come back. Maria's here."

"I sure as hell hope so," Maria replied as she turned to watch Ai coax her friend back.

After a second, she put a hand on her hip. "Stop complaining and just get back here. We're all waiting on you." She paused for another moment before letting out an annoyed sigh and turning to Junko. "Where is she?"

She looked down at the screen. "Across the river and two streets away."

"Across the river and two streets away. Now will you come back? We have a lot to do and-" She stopped herself then continued a second later. "Okay. See you soon." She flipped her phone shut then turned back to the group and crossed her arms. "She's such a handful."

"How far was she planning to run…?" Sakura wondered, picturing the map of Karatsu in her head.

"Knowing her, probably as far as she could make it before getting bored."

"I'd say one or two minutes at most," Junko commented. She turned to Emi and handed her back her phone. "Thank you. That's a very interesting device."

She held the phone in her hands for a few seconds before giving her a confused look. "Are you talking about the phone or the GPS box?"

"The box. I have a phone." She reached into her pants pocket and produced her smartphone, housed in a purple protective case with a small hibiscus charm. "Do you like it?"

"Uh, yeah, but I'm more interested in that." She pointed to her side at the pocket which housed her dull butterfly knife.

"Oh, this?" She put her phone back then pulled out the knife. "It's a butterfly knife. Though, it is dull since I've been learning."

A grin spread across the twins' faces. "Oh, nice!" Emi commented. "Lemme see!"

"Um, okay." And with that, she pressed a button on the side, loosening the knife's constraints, and flicked her wrist, sending part of the handle and the blade itself rotating around its pivot at high speeds. With a quick toss in the air, the switched handles and continued this rotation and with a few flips the blade reached its natural open point and snapped into position. After a moment of holding it like that, she pressed the button on the side once again and flicked the part of the handle her grip wasn't on so that it and the blade spun around. She unhinged the blade for a moment to allow it to complete its rotation once before putting it back on its hinge, bouncing the intentionally dull end of the knife off the back of her hand, and flipping both the handle and the blade back into their closed position. "How was that?"

Both twins had stars in their eyes and stood there staring at her, slack-jawed. "That was beautiful," Emi answered.

A light blush spread across her face and she shyly looked away and let out a small smile. "Thank you. I worked very hard on it."

She pointed over her shoulder at her sister. "You know, she could sharpen it for you if you want…"

She perked up at this and turned to Hana. "Could you? I've been meaning to, but I don't really know how and Saki has been busy with other things."

"Maybe we should after work," Ai suggested. "And while we're at it, maybe we could have Sayama sew these holes in our jackets shut." She pulled her jacket to one side and gestured to the many holes that had been created when she had been shot the day prior.

"I was just gonna buy new ones," Maria shrugged.

"Mine has the custom pocket, remember? And besides, it's not that hard to repair a dozen or so holes."

She shrugged. "Well, whatever. That's your business. As long as you get it fixed."

"So, when do I get my jacket?" Sachio asked.

She stared blankly at her. "Slow your roll, crimson. You're not even in the gang yet. We're still waiting on Saki to get back."

"There she is!" Lily shouted, pointing to the park's entrance.

The group turned to see Saki, one hand in her pocket and the other holding the small grey box. She walked toward them without a word and without so much as a greeting to Maria. As she passed, her eyes passed over her for a split second then looked away. She stopped in front of Emi and handed back the box. "This thing is awesome. You made it?"

She nodded. "Yup. This is just the first one. I'm making more. Figured you might need 'em."

She put on a proud smile and gave a thumbs up. "Pretty cool, Gizmo." And with that, she turned around and made her way to Maria's side, where she stood staring straight ahead, clearly intentionally avoiding eye contact.

Maria stared at her for a second. "Hey, Saki."

She glanced at her for another split second then looked away. "Hey."

"Once we're done with what's going on here, I wanna talk to you about the whole hospital thing."

Her eyes bulged open and she ever so slowly turned her head toward her with a confused expression. "W-what?"

"Once we're done, can we talk?"

She stared at her, the gears clearly turning in her head. "Uh… I… Uh…" Her eyes shot to Junko, who was nodding back at her. "Uh… y-" She gulped. "We'll see."

She hesitated for a long moment before turning to the four zombies. "Alright, guys." She made a quick motion with her head, signaling for them to get behind her.

They all did as they were told and made their way to her back. Sakura shot a quick look at Saki as she stood in formation and felt a twinge of unease. _I don't think she wants to talk to her…_

Finally, now that everyone was situated, Maria started. "Okay! Now that everyone's here, we can get to business!" She pointed to the twins. "You two! Emi and Hana!"

Each stood at attention and stared at their boss with proud eyes. "Yes, boss!" Emi answered.

Her eyebrows shot up. Clearly impressed by their coordination and readiness, she grew a smile and waved her hand to the side. "We'll get to you two in a minute. Step aside."

They each shot Sachio a look of good luck then hurried over to the sidelines.

"Now, you!" She pointed at the one remaining girl before her, who quickly stood at attention. "What's your name?"

"Sachio Osada!"

"What middle school did you go to?"

"Waseda! Same as them!"

"Why do you wanna join Dorami?"

"I think it would be cool!"

"What do you bring to the table?"

"Nothing!"

Maria froze where she was and stared at her in confusion. "…Nothing?"

She shook her head. "Nothin' at all!" she answered in complete confidence.

She stared at her silently for another few seconds then turned to Saki. "Am I hearing her right? Did she say 'nothing'?"

She looked at her out of the corner of her eye then turned her gaze back forward. "Uh… I guess so, yeah."

She looked back at the girl and leaned forward, now intrigued. "Whaddya mean, 'nothing'?"

"It means I don't bring anything to the table! None of my skills are relevant!"

"What skills?"

"I'm really good at writing essays and I also used to play volleyball!"

She continued staring at her for a few more seconds then brought a hand to her forehead. "Yeesh, that really is nothing…" She hesitated for a few seconds then turned to Saki. "Whaddya think?"

This time, she didn't even bother giving a verbal response. She just shrugged.

She kept her eyes on her for a long moment before turning back to her. "Okay, uh, you look pretty confident, so we're gonna give you the guts test!"

Sachio's eyes turned to Saki and she took a deep, determined breath.

Saki made no such preparations. She merely walked forward, her face stoic, her body tense. She stopped in front of her, glanced over her shoulder one last time at Maria, then began. "So, uh, you think you got guts, huh?"

She nodded without hesitation. "I do."

"Then prove it."

She grew a wide grin then turned and ran over to the water fountain which was right under a small metal roof that was about four meters off the ground. She jumped up onto the fountain then made another leap and grabbed onto the edge of the roof.

"What is she doing…?" Junko asked quietly.

"Well, there's only one way to find out," Ai replied.

Within a few seconds, she had pulled herself up onto the roof and turned around with her hands on her hips. "Alright! Here's how I'm gonna show my guts!" She turned her back to the girls and stuck her arms out to either side. Then she began to tip over backwards.

"It's a trust fall!" Sakura cried out.

"What?!" Emi shouted. "Sachio, you-" She and her sister each immediately dropped their jackets and the GPS box, rushed forward, and shoved their way past Saki. They stopped beneath where she was and each extended their arms to catch her.

Sachio soon landed on top of Hana and both fell to the ground with two loud grunts. She sat there for a moment before rolling over and pushing herself back up. "Knew it."

"Knew what?!" Emi yelled, smacking her upside the head. "That we would come catch you?!"

Without even acknowledging the smack on the head, she nodded. "Yup."

"What if we didn't?!"

She shrugged. "I would've hit the ground. Probably would've had the wind knocked out of me. It's not that big a deal." Her eyes turned to Saki and she gave a cocky smirk. "How was that?"

She stared at her for a moment, a hand on her chin. "You two didn't know she was gonna do that?"

"Hell no, we didn't!" Emi replied, once again smacking her upside the head.

Hana pushed herself to her feet, dusted herself off, and shot a dirty look at Sachio.

Saki smirked. "Alright. You got guts, girl." She glanced at Maria once again and her smile fell. She quickly looked away then slowly made her way back to where she was before.

Maria stared at her for a moment then turned back to the three girls. "Alright! You three! C'mere!"

They all perked up and made their way back in front of her. Each of them stood before her with confident smiles and eager eyes.

"Sachio! I'm your new boss, Maria Amabuki! Welcome to Dorami!"

Emi held out a hand for a high five in front of her and soon received the slap she was asking for.

"This is your crew!" She pointed around her at the zombies surrounding her. "Saki Nikaido, captain of the Kamikaze Squad!" She paused for a moment before continuing. "Bandages, Blackout, Marshmallow, and Shrimpy, all Kamikaze Squad!" She pointed to the two girls in front of her. "You obviously already know these two."

She nodded. "Yeah."

"Okay!" She clapped her hands together and looked around. "That's it, right? We're good?"

"We're good!" Lily grinned.

"Alright!" She stepped out of line and stood to the side of the gang. "Next up, we gotta get our newbies some uniforms and some bikes!"

"How do we do that?" Sakura asked. "We don't even know where any Korosuke members are right now…"

"Yeah, I know! That's why we're gonna look around for 'em! I'm splitting us into two groups!" She pointed to the three newbies. "Group one is gonna take you three to get your uniforms! Shirts, pants, boots, and gloves! We'll get that other jacket from my house later." She turned to the crew of zombies. "Bandages! Shrimpy! Marshmallow! That's you!"

Ai nodded. "Understood." She jogged over to the newbies with her sisters behind her.

Saki stared at them, wide-eyed, then looked back at Maria.

"Group two is gonna start searching for bikes! There's gotta be Korosuke somewhere in Karatsu and we're gonna find 'em and steal three of their bikes!" She stared straight at Saki, her gaze piercing through her glasses. "That's me, Blackout, and Saki."

Sakura looked over at the zombie beside her and tilted her head toward Maria. "Come on, Saki-chan! We've gotta go steal some bikes!"

Saki didn't budge. Her eyes were locked on Maria. "Uh…" She glanced quickly at the six in group one then gasped in inspiration. "Actually, I'm gonna go with them!"

"What?!" Maria yelled. "Why?!"

She started walking to the newbies, clearly rather anxious. "I got a crap ton of holes in my shirt from yesterday! I gotta get a new one! New gloves, too!" She patted Junko on the back. "You guys can take Marshmallow instead! Her outfit's fine!"

Junko blinked. "You know, we could just pick you up a new shirt while we're there…"

She shook her head rather forcefully. "Nope! I gotta get it myself! You can go with them!" She patted her on the back again, this time with enough force to shove her away from the group toward Maria. She turned to Emi. "Gizmo! You're with me!"

"Huh? I am?"

"C'mon!" She racewalked over to her bike, sat down, and turned it on. "Don't have all day!"

She looked over at Maria. "I'm confused. Is she part of our group or…?"

She hesitated for a moment then sighed in defeat. "Yeah. Go with her. Marshmallow, you're with us."

Sakura stared sadly at Maria. _Poor Maria-chan… All she wants to do is talk…_ She watched as the three newbies shot each other a quick glance, shrugged, picked up the things they had dropped on the ground, and hurried to the bikes.

As Emi passed, she handed Sakura the GPS box. "Here. This should make it easy for us to regroup."

"O-oh, right! Thank you!" She took the box in her hands and stuck it into her pocket. Then she watched her run and sit down on Saki's bike behind her.

Ai watched them for a moment, looked down at Lily beside her, then turned to Maria. She was just about to say something when Saki laid down her horn, creating a loud boom that drowned out anything she could possibly say. She shot her a quick glare then gave Maria a quick nod and jogged over to her.

Sakura walked over to Maria's side and watched as the three bikes, each with two girls on them, backed up and sped off, leaving the three behind them. There was a long moment of silence before she spoke. "Okay, maybe she IS avoiding you."


	139. The Need

Saki slowed down lightly as her bike approached the curb in front of Dorami's preferred outfitters. Her bike bounced up onto the sidewalk in front of the store and she stopped, turned off the bike, and felt the girl behind her loosen her grip around her waist. Happy to have so narrowly escaped talking to Maria, she let out a sigh of relief. _Jeez, that was way too close._ She stood up and raised her arms over her head, stretching them out and loosening her stiff joints. _Almost makes me glad we got all caught up in that sting yesterday…_

After a few seconds, the bikes of Ai and Lily pulled up beside hers and rolled to a stop. Their engines' rumble soon came to an end and their riders stepped off.

Saki turned around to face her crew with her hands on her hips. "Alright! Now let's get started! We're getting boots, pants, shirts, and gloves!" She reached into her pocket and pulled out a thick wad of cash left over from the failed bribe the day before. "And money isn't an issue, so if you need crap like ribbons or bras or socks or whatever, knock yourself out!"

Emi slowly raised her hand. "Hey, I have a question…"

She stuffed the money back in her pocket and nodded. "Lay it on me."

"What happened yesterday?"

She shrugged. "We got caught up in some stuff. Don't worry about it. It's not that big a deal." She turned to the front doors of the store and walked through, the motion sensors telling the motors to pull the glass out of her way as she came by. She grew a small smirk. _Damn, I love the way doors work now. So much cooler than before._

"So, Miss Saki," Sachio started.

She looked over her shoulder at the girl, who was following her along with the four others. "Just Saki. Drop the honorifics and crap. Dorami doesn't do that."

"Oh, okay. Saki, I also have a question."

"Shoot."

"Do we all have to dye our hair? I mean, everyone else does."

She shrugged. "You can if you want, but you don't have to." She looked back forward and slipped her hands into her pockets. "Whatever you end up doing, just make sure you match your squad. My squad all looks good together. You guys gotta do the same when you make yours."

"Huh. Okay."

She looked back forward and took a right turn and soon came upon a shelf of multicolored t-shirts. "Okay, here's our shirts." She walked to the far end of the shelf, where multiple stacks of black shirts lay together. She picked up the first one she saw and unfolded it to find that it was a small. _Nope._ "Here, Shrimpy, this one's all yours!" She turned around and chucked it straight at the girl.

"Mmf!" The shirt landed on her face and she was quick to bring a hand up and pull it off. She looked up at her sister and pouted. "You're mean, Saki-chan!"

She chuckled as she picked up the next shirt. "Hey, chill out, it's just a shirt!"

She crossed her arms and looked away. "I never said you were being mean to me…"

"Then who am I bein' mean to?"

"Oh, I dunno, how about Maria-chan?" she groused.

Saki stopped where she was and stared straight ahead for a second before slowly turning her head toward her. "Huh?"

She frowned, threw her arms to her sides, and clenched her fists. "Maria-chan wanted to talk to you really bad, but you just ignored her! We could've gotten you a new shirt and new gloves with Junko-chan! The only reason you came with us was so you didn't have to talk to her! That's so mean!"

She blinked. "Wait, what? I'm not being mean, I'm just-"

"No, you're being super mean!" she yelled. "Didn't you see how upset Maria-chan was when you-" She was stopped as a hand was placed on her shoulder and she looked up to see Ai had moved to silence her.

"…I had some thoughts on that, too," she added, "but I was planning on waiting until we had a moment alone to say it." She motioned toward the three newbies, whose eyes were darting between the three sisters. She looked back down at the zombie beside her. "Do you think you can wait a little bit longer before we talk about this?"

She paused for a moment before turning her gaze back to Saki. "Okay." She put the shirt under her arm and once again crossed her arms.

Saki stared at her for a second before turning back to the shirt. _I'm not being mean, I'm just…_ She blinked. _No, I… I'm doing the right thing, right? I mean, I don't know how to think of her… what am I supposed to say? It'd just be weird. I can't talk to her. Not yet, at least. Yeah, I'm right. She's the one who-_

"Uh, Saki?" Sachio asked.

"Huh?" She snapped back to attention and read the tag on the shirt she was holding. "Oh, uh, this one's a medium. Here."

* * *

Maria twisted back on her throttle and started to pick back up speed as she passed yet another empty park on her left. She kept her gaze locked on the road before her, weaving through traffic and paying attention to her peripheral vision for any black Korosuke bikes. She knew they had to be in Karatsu somewhere, she just didn't know where.

Behind her were Sakura and Junko, two of her most trusted gang members. Each of them had had a hand in helping her fix her relationship with Saki and were anxious to see the two reunite. Needless to say, that wasn't really happening right now as Saki had clearly purposefully avoided her. Maria was fairly disappointed that things had turned out this way, but she decided that she shouldn't let it interfere with her work. After all, it was Saki who told her to give it her all regardless of how she felt, and just because they weren't on good terms right now didn't mean that what she had taught her was any less valid.

"There!" Sakura suddenly exclaimed, extending a finger to one side of the road where five Korosuke bikes were parked just outside a local park.

Maria readied herself, pulled back on her handlebars, and squeezed her brakes. Her tires once again _screeched_ across the ground and she came to a stop right beside the black bikes, the other two girls right behind her. She looked up to see five girls, all in Korosuke uniform, alongside a group of three younger-looking girls on the ground, all staring back at them.

One of the Korosuke girls clenched her fists and flicked her pink hair out of her eyes. "Dorami!"

Sakura leaned over and whispered loudly to her boss. "That's Atsuko-chan, Misa's fourth- er, I mean, third in command!"

"That's her name, huh?" She stepped off her bike and confidently walked forward with her hands in her pockets and a snarky grin on her face. "Been a while, eh, Atsuko?"

She reached behind her back and pulled out a shovel. "What do you want, Amabuki?"

She laughed. "You Korosuke girls always get straight to the point, huh? We're in the market for some new bikes and you guys have just the kind we're looking for. Think you're willin' to hand 'em over to us?"

"Tch!" Her brown eyes shot to Sakura and Junko, who had since stepped off their bikes and walked into the park with Maria. "Saki's not with you."

"Nah. She's busy with something else." She brought a handcuffed hand out of her pocket and extended it toward her with the chain links making a metallic _jingle_. "Doesn't matter, though. You're gonna give us the keys anyway and then you're gonna get outta here."

She raised an eyebrow. "Why are you handcuffed? Is this a new look for you?"

"Enough talk! Just gimme the keys!"

"No way!" she exclaimed, taking a step back with the shovel. "We've already lost too many to you! Arashi Squad! Weapons ready!"

At her command, the four girls with her took their weapons out from behind their backs: two crowbars, a baseball bat, and a tire lug wrench.

Maria stepped back into her own stance and put her hands up. "Alright, guys, looks like we're fighting!"

Junko gasped. "Y-you mean we have to fight? Now?!"

"It's okay, Junko-chan!" Sakura assured her, despite being quite scared herself. "We're zombies! We can take a few hits!"

"I don't really want to!"

In all the commotion, the three younger girls that had been on the ground before the Korosuke members quietly stood up and excused themselves from the park.

"HYAAAH!" Atsuko suddenly exclaimed, running forward and swinging her shovel toward Maria's head.

She ducked under it with ease then stood back up and twisted her hips into a powerful punch, landing her fist directly on her cheek. She followed through with this motion, knocking her off-balance, then turned to the next girl, who was in the process of bringing her baseball bat down onto her shoulder. She twisted her body to the side and took a step back so the bat merely grazed her chest then reversed her rotational momentum to elbow the girl in the jaw.

Sakura picked up the slack by running forward and taking the weapons of both girls, throwing them to the ground far behind them. She looked to her side to see the one with the lug wrench using it as a sort of spear. "Eep!" she squeaked as she swerved her head out of the way just in time to avoid being hit. She grabbed the bar with both hands in an effort to rip the bar from the girl's hands, which she actually succeeded in doing, but only because she let her do so. She watched in confusion for a second before she noticed the fist headed toward her face.

"Eat THIS, Sakura!" she shouted as she sent Sakura's head sailing through the air.

"GOAAHH! S-someone catch me! Catch me, catch me, catch me, catch me, catch-" Her cries stopped as she landed in the arms of Junko.

"Are you okay?"

"Y-yeah, I'm okay! Thanks for catching me!" She turned her body around and quickly ran over to pick back up her head. She twisted it back on then rushed back into the fight.

Junko watched her friend rush back into battle with much unease. She wasn't much of a fighter herself, so she was much better suited to supporting her team on the sidelines. Out of the corner of her eye, though, she saw a Korosuke girl approaching her and she gasped. "D-don't come near me!" she ordered, pulling out her butterfly knife. "I-I know h-how to use this!" She started flipping it around, much like how she had a few minutes prior, but due to how anxious she was it managed to slip through her fingers. "Ah!" She bent down to pick it up just in time for a crowbar to _woosh_ through where her head was a moment ago. It was then that she decided to not stand back up and instead leaned forward and shifted her weight into her attacker's hips in a futile attempt to tackle her.

Unlike the two zombies, Maria was doing surprisingly well. She'd been juggling three girls with ease for about a minute now, only haven taken a few hits herself, and had just kicked away the shovel girl once again. Her gaze turned to the other crowbar girl, who was swinging her weapon over her head toward her. Naturally, she dodged easily, but it was a short-lived effort. Her arm soon became snagged on something and she looked to see that the chain connecting the two cuffs of her handcuffs had gotten caught on the end of the crowbar. "What the hell?!"

The girl before her grinned and quickly took advantage of this. Holding the crowbar with two hands, she began to twist it around Maria, forcing her to contort her body lest she wanted her arm broken.

"Ow ow ow ow OW!" she yelled as the girl basically forced her into an armlock. She bent over, her arm poised behind her back, as her joints were twisted against her will. "Blackout! Marshmallow! A little help?!"

"S-sorry, I'm kinda busy right now!" Sakura answered. True to her word, she was now fending off both the girl with the lug wrench and the one with the baseball bat. And she was doing a poor job at that, as she was getting backed into a corner. "Honestly, I could use some help right now, too!"

"Me, too!" Junko added. This wasn't as true. Her face was pressed into the stomach of a girl who was just kind of standing there staring at her awkwardly.

"Tsk!" Maria gritted her teeth and used all the strength she could muster to try and force her arm out of its twisted state. Though she managed to free her handcuffs from the crowbar, the girl behind her back quickly released the bar and held her arm in place with her hands instead. "Let go of me, damn it!"

Atsuko looked around at the three Dorami girls who had nearly been defeated. "Wow, you guys really aren't that good without Saki."

"The only reason I haven't beaten your ass yet is because of these STUPID HANDCUFFS!"

"Keep telling yourself that!" She stepped slightly to the side, took a step back, then started swinging the shovel with all her might directly toward her face.

She breathed sharply through her teeth and quickly came up with a gamble. She bent her knees, allowing herself to fall lower to the ground but also further twisting her arm and causing an awful lot of pain. She felt the shovel pass over her buns and the grip on her arm loosened just enough for her to tear her arm free. From there, she kicked off, sliding across the ground to a spot a meter or two away.

Atsuko gasped as she hit her squad member in the stomach. "Yasuho! I'm so sorry!" She turned to Maria with an angry glare on her face. "What is WRONG with you?!"

She stood back up with the same cocky smirk she had entered with. "Who's not so good without Saki now?!"

"Still you! Saki would have ended this fight in seconds!" She gestured to her two team members who were each still struggling keeping themselves afloat. "You see these two? The only reason you're still pulling your own weight is because we're split across three people! If it was just five on one, then you'd be toast!"

"Keep on yapping!" she taunted. "You can't handle me!"

"Maria-chan! Help!" Sakura wailed.

She looked over her shoulder just in time to see the lug wrench girl stick her weapon under her chin then hit it from below, giving it enough torque to cleanly separate the zombie's head from her body and send it flying. "Oh, crap!"

"NOT AGAIN!" she practically screamed. "Catch me, Maria-chan!"

"Don't worry, I got you!" she yelled, running over to where she approximated she would be headed. Atsuko was in her way, so she lifted up her leg and forced a powerful kick into her gut as she passed. She turned around and looked up to catch her head but immediately realized that she had run too far.

"Mmf!" Sakura's face burrowed its way into the park's grassy plains and her hair fell flat on the ground. Her body fell to the earth as well, creating a solid _thump_.

"Blackout!" Maria bent down and pulled her head out of the dirt. "You okay?!"

"I-I think so…" she sputtered out. She blinked and looked up at her as best she could. "But we really should have brought Saki-chan…"

Her eyes turned back to the four Korosuke girls, who, aside from the one who was just hit with the shovel, were all headed toward her with scowls on their faces. "No time to worry about that crap right now! Marshmallow, catch!" She tossed Sakura's head blindly, creating yet another airborne wail from her. Then she stepped back into a stance and put her hands up. "Damn it, Saki…" she grumbled to herself, "this would've been so much easier if we could just talk…" Finally, she pushed off with her back foot and rushed back in to fight.

* * *

Saki watched herself in the dressing room mirror as she took the black bullet-ridden shirt she had been wearing and tossed it to the side. She then picked up her new shirt, slipped it over her head, stuck her arms and head through, and pulled her ponytail out before reaching into her pocket and pulling out her new gloves. She slipped each over one of her hands, ripped the tag off of them, then tossed her old, tattered ones to the bench with her old shirt. She put back on her jacket, took a minute to admire how badass she looked, then picked up her old clothes and opened the dressing room door. She stepped out to see Ai and Lily standing right outside, each with their arms crossed. Upon seeing each of their serious expressions, she groaned internally. _Great, here we go…_

Ai looked her up and down. "Are you done?"

"Yeah."

"Alright." She turned her head toward the three dressing rooms to her left. "You three, give us your clothes' tags through the door! We'll go pay, you guys just meet us outside when you're done!"

"Uh, okay!" There was a short period of snapping sounds as tags were torn off of goods then slid under each door.

Lily walked along the three rooms, picked up the tags, then handed them to Ai. "Here you go, Ai-chan."

"Thanks." She put them in her pocket then turned out of the dressing rooms. "Let's go, then."

Saki put her hands in her pockets and walked alongside her, staring straight ahead. She heard the heavy sound of Lily stomping on the floor behind her, but kept her attention locked on Ai, who she knew would be taking a bit more calm approach.

"So, about Maria."

She took a deep breath, preparing herself once again to be asked the difficult questions. "What about her?"

"Why won't you talk to her?"

She looked away. "I can't."

"Why not?"

"I haven't figured out how to feel about her yet."

"Oh, right, you're at war with yourself… Junko told us about that." She paused for a second then leaned over and gave her a confused look. "But how does that prevent you from talking to her?"

"How the hell am I supposed to talk to her if I don't know what to think about her?"

She stared blankly at her for a minute before putting her thoughts out rather bluntly. "What are you talking about? That's got to be the dumbest thing I've ever heard."

Saki's eyes shot open and she turned to her, instantly ready to punch her. "HUH?!"

She scoffed and crossed her arms. "I'm just saying, you avoiding her just because your opinion of her is a little murky is totally ridiculous. You're acting exactly the same way she was yesterday."

She blinked and slowly lowered her fist. "…What?"

"Oh, come on. We all know you would have been much better off stealing bikes than Junko. The only reason you came with us so was so that you could avoid talking to Maria, just like how she tried to avoid talking to you yesterday."

She stared at her for a second then snarled. "Okay, yeah, so what?!"

"'So what'?! So how do you expect to run a gang as the second in command when you won't talk to the boss?!" She poked her in the chest with an accusatory finger. "If you think that you can run Dorami without her and she can run Dorami without you, you're totally wrong!"

She swatted her hand away. "Don't touch me, bitch!"

"I'll stop touching you when you finally realize that you're letting your emotions get in the way of your work! She's handling this like an adult, why can't you?!"

She raised her fist back up and grabbed her by the wrist. "OH, YOU WANT AN ASSBEATING, HUH?!"

"Please stop!" Lily cried, running between the two and pushing them apart. Her head swiveled between the two in a panic. "You're sisters! Sisters shouldn't fight like this!"

Saki took a long moment, taking frustrated breaths through gritted teeth. Slowly, she realized the concern in Ai's face and released her grip on her wrist as her anger melted away. She dropped her arms to her sides and looked to the side. "…Sorry."

"It's no big deal." She rubbed her wrist, feeling the imprints Saki's fingers had left in her undead flesh. "I'm sorry, too."

She crossed her arms and felt a twang of regret. So much for a calm approach…

Lily brought her hands back to herself and looked between her two sisters worriedly.

Ai took a minute to calm herself down then took a deep breath. "I'm sorry. I just don't want to see the gang fall apart because of something like this."

"Well then she shouldn't've gone and found out," Saki grumbled.

"You know what? You have every right to be mad at her. I'm not going to argue against that. I'm just asking you to listen to her. Haven't you considered that her talking to you might help change the way you think about her? What she has to say could completely change your perception of her. She's clearly had a long time to think about what to say and you ignoring her like this is-" She stopped as the Lily tugged on her sleeve. She looked over her shoulder at the child behind her. "What?"

"Sakura-chan said that she and Maria-chan spent a long time practicing what to say last night."

She looked back at Saki and gestured to her. "See? She obviously has something to say to you that you haven't heard before. Whatever she says could easily change how you feel about this whole thing. And even if it doesn't, you can't keep avoiding her like this."

She slowly turned her head back toward her and stared into the abyss of her dark sunglasses.

"It's either you listen to her or the gang falls apart. Your choice."

She hesitated for a long moment, thinking to herself. _Damn it… talking to Maria again… I don't know what to think of her still… But she's right. If I can't talk to her, Dorami might go back to the way it was a month ago. I can't let Dorami die because of this_ _crap._ She scowled at the thought of talking to her so soon, but she realized that the life of the gang depended on it. _Guess I better suck it up…_ Finally, she let out a long sigh. "Fine."

"So you're gonna talk to her?!" Lily gasped.

She took a deep breath and nodded. "Yeah. I'll hear her out."

"Yay!" She wrapped her arms around her in squealed in excitement. "I can't wait!"

She let the child constrict her movement for a moment before wiggling her arms and setting herself free. "Alright, that's enough." She felt the girl's arms tear away from her and she put her arms behind her head. "Wonder how Junko's holding up stealing bikes."

"Probably not as good as you would've been, Saki-chan!" Lily grinned. She clearly meant this as a compliment, but Saki felt immense regret being reminded of what she'd sent her sister off to do.

Finally, the three zombies made their way to the self-checkout kiosk and Ai walked ahead of the other two, planting herself in front of one of the machines. She opened her clenched fists and started swiping tags across the scanner.

Saki watched the girl scan their tags silently as her thoughts were in another place. _What could she say that'll change how I think about her? I've already heard all the apologies she's tossed at me and that's not good enough… So what am I missing? Can she really say something that changes my mind right then and there…?_

"Hey, Kamikaze Squad! Check us out!"

She turned to see the three newbies, each with excited smiles on their faces and complete Dorami uniforms on their bodies, save for Sachio, who lacked a jacket. She grew her own grin immediately and threw out a thumbs up. "Damn, lookin' good, newbies!"

Emi looked down at her outfit fondly. "You know, I could really get used to this."

"You think the uniform's good now? You shoulda seen it back in the nineties!"

Ai groaned. "Quit being an old-timer and just give me the money."

"Don't call me an old-timer, damn it!" she snapped. She reached into her pocket and tossed the wad of cash toward her then turned back to the other five. "Looks like we're wrapping up here. Probably gonna cruise around for a bit lookin' for the others."

"Oh, gimme a sec." Emi reached into her pocket and pulled out her phone. "I gave that Blackout girl the receiver. I already know where they are." She turned her phone around to show the blue dot in a park about two minutes away.

"Oh, damn! I'm loving this thing already!" She used her unbandaged fingers to move around the map a bit so as to get a better idea of how to get there then put her hands on her hips. "Alright! Then as soon as Bandages is done, we'll head out!"

Lily bounced up and down with anticipation and let out an excited squeal.

"Hey, are you guys gonna teach us how to ride bikes?" asked Sachio. "'Cause we don't really know."

Saki waved a hand nonchalantly. "Eh, relax! It's easy! Just like riding a regular bike, just stronger and faster and cooler and better!"

Ai walked back over to the five, now holding a significantly smaller stack of cash than the one she had before. "Okay, we're done. You know where we're going?"

"Yup!" She swiped the money from her hands, shoved it in her pocket, and turned toward the front doors of the store. "Dorami, let's roll out!"

"Yay!" Lily cheered, skipping ahead of her.

She kept a determined face on, but inside, she was filled with unease. _Damn it… Guess I'm really doing this._ She took a deep breath as she stepped through the doors and sat down on her bike. _Here I come, Maria… Hope you can change my mind._

* * *

Maria jumped to her feet, having just narrowly avoided being ganged up on by four girls at the same time by rolling under their legs once again. She'd been holding her own half-decently for a few minutes by now, but slowly but surely, her stamina was draining. As she got more and more tired of fighting, the amount of times she'd gotten ganged up on increased more and more. Though she kept escaping from those situations and kept fighting, she knew that she wouldn't be able to keep this up forever and every time she thought she had the upper hand, somehow, her handcuffs would act as some sort of barrier keeping her from claiming victory. She desperately needed backup and she knew it. Despite this, she kept up the charade she was putting on toward the Korosuke girls, putting on a smirk and waving her arms around derisively. "Come on! You gonna let me keep slipping through your fingers?!"

"God, just shut up and let us hit you!" Atsuko replied.

"Good luck with that!" She put her hands back up and glared at Junko. "Marshmallow, if you're not gonna fight then get Blackout's head back on already!" And with that, she rushed back in to fight, droplets of sweat flying from her face.

"I-I'm trying!" she cried, keeping a firm two-handed grip on Sakura's head while maneuvering body back and forth in an effort to pass by the Korosuke girl standing between her and her fellow zombie's body. "Please move!" she pleaded.

"No way!" she replied. "If I move, you're gonna take my bike!"

"That's… That's not my problem!"

"Junko-chan! Try throwing me over her!" Sakura suggested.

She glanced down at her for a second and her eyes lit up with inspiration. She took a few steps back and tossed her over her head. "Catch!"

Sakura winced and clenched her eyes shut as she soared overhead, but positioned her body on the ground with her arms outstretched in an effort to catch herself. However, just a moment later, she felt a powerful force on her chest and her body flew backwards. "E-eh?! Whoa, whoa, whoa!" She reopened her eyes just in time to fall into the arms of the Korosuke girl she had been desperately trying to avoid. She looked up at her and slowly grew a nervous smile. "Um, hi…"

Meanwhile, Maria reached a hand out to stop the shovel headed toward her side then leaned forward and punched the girl at the other end. She took a deep, panting breath then turned to the girl with the baseball bat and stepped into her swing. She pressed a hand into her throat, slipped a leg behind hers, and pushed, tripping her and sending her to the ground. Her attention was entirely on the fight before her, but that all changed as she heard a high-pitched wail above her. She looked up to see a red-haired head flying through the air, screaming the whole time. She watched it soar well over the walls of the park then shot her eyes to Junko in a state of disbelief. "What the hell, Marsh- GUEHH!" She was stopped mid-sentence as a crowbar slammed into her back and she immediately fell to her knees. A sharp, thick pain appeared between her spine and her left shoulder blade and she immediately started coughing in response.

"Maria-san!" Junko sprinted toward her and placed a hand on her shoulder. "Are you hurt?!"

"I'm fine…" she hacked. "Just… do something!"

She looked up at the four Korosuke girls now targeting her. "I think this was a bad idea…" she whimpered.

"Just… hold them off! Gimme… gimme a minute!" She propped herself up on her right arm and started moving her left back and forth while taking shaky, pained breaths.

Sensing that she had to be strong, she swallowed her fear and stepped between Maria and the girls and tried to look as menacing as possible. "Stay back!" she ordered. "I won't let you hurt her!"

"Ha!" Atsuko laughed. She stopped for a second and put her shovel over her shoulder. "Like we're scared of you! We have our own zombie, remember? We're used to looking at freaks like you! The only one of you who's scary is Saki because she's got skills!"

She moved to take a step back, but stopped herself and put her foot back to hold her ground. "Well, then, you should know that I'm her sister, so I have skills, too!"

"You're her sister?" Her eyebrows lowered and she looked at her skeptically. "Okay, but if you got Saki's skills," she questioned, pointing over her shoulder at one of the girls with a crowbar, "how come you screwed up so bad against her?"

"I… I wanted to give Maria a chance to prove herself!" she bluffed. "If I took care of you all in one swoop, then she wouldn't have had a chance to practice on you!" At this point, she was just trying to buy time. Soon enough, Maria would get back up and keep fighting, but for now, she just had to-

Just then, the thunderous roar of motorcycle engines tore through the air, stopping both sides of the conflict in their tracks. They each turned to the entrance of the park just in time to see three more red bikes pull up, each with two passengers. The Korosuke girls froze as they watched a certain blonde-haired zombie step off her bike and waltz over.

Saki made her way to Junko's side and patted her on the shoulder. "You're good. I'll take it from here."

"Oh, thank goodness…" She let out a breath of relief and walked over to the park's swingset, where she took an exhausted seat.

Maria looked over her shoulder at her friend standing above her then rolled her body over so she was seated normally. She brought her right hand onto her shoulder and stared up at her. "Saki…"

She glanced down at her for a second then looked back at the four Korosuke girls and put her hands on her hips. "Now are we fighting or what?"

There was a _clank_ as a lug wrench fell to the ground and the girl once holding it put her hands up. "I'm not!"

Atsuko turned to glare at her. "I swear, Kumiko, do you have any idea how hard it was to convince Misa to give you another bike?!"

"I'm sorry, but I don't want to fight her! I'd rather have Misa yell at me than get a concussion like Yuko did!" She reached into her pocket and fished out the key to a motorcycle. "Here!" She tossed it over to her and took a few steps back.

Saki caught it with one hand and dropped it into her pocket with a cocky smirk. "Guess not all you Korosuke bitches are stupid, huh?" She gestured with her hands, inviting the girls before her to come at her if they dared. "Any of you dumb enough to take me on?"

The three remaining shot a quick look at each other before readying their weapons. "We won't go down without a fight!" Atsuko replied.

She stepped back into a stance and put her hands up. "That's what I'm hoping for."

As soon as those words escaped the zombie's mouth, she started swinging her shovel toward her at max speed, using the torque of her entire body to do so.

She tilted her head to the side, letting it fly past mere inches above her, before using the girl's shifted weight against her by forcing a leg behind hers and easily pushing her off her feet. As the girl collapsed, she grabbed her shovel with two hands and twisted her body to slam it straight into the side of another girl's head with a loud _GONK_ , immediately knocking her unconscious.

Maria watched her friend handle the girls with ease as she rubbed her aching shoulder. Suddenly, she was bumped forcefully on the left side, causing an immense amount of pain. "Ow! Hey, watch where you're-" She froze as she saw the person who had bumped her was the last Korosuke girl who had been keeping Junko from Sakura's body and she was in the process of launching her crowbar toward the back of Saki's head. "SAKI, BEHIND YOU!" she suddenly shouted. "DUCK!"

As if by instinct, Saki immediately bent over just as the crowbar went through where her head was, instead pushing through her ponytail. She stood back up, punched the girl in the face, and gave a thumbs up. "Thanks, Reik-" Her face fell as she locked eyes with Maria and she hesitated for a moment before turning back around, ripping the baseball bat out of the remaining girl's hands, and smacking it into her knee, crippling her. Standing above the four defeated girls, she turned to her own crew and beckoned them over. "Hey, newbies! Come get your keys!"

Maria stoically watched the three girls strut into the park to start collecting their keys and couldn't help but sigh. Once again, she'd failed and needed to be carried to victory by Saki. And what's worse is that she wouldn't be commending her efforts or offering to teach her this time; she'd just ignore her, just as she had before. She rested her head in her hands with a deep groan as she contemplated how badly she had screwed up. And without the chance to prove that she had changed, this tension between the two would likely never ease up. She was stuck in the shadow of someone who couldn't like her anymore.

Ai walked over to her and tapped her on the shoulder. "Hey, Maria?"

She looked back up at her. "Huh?"

"Do you have any idea where Sakura's head is?"

"Oh, it's…" She pointed to the wall where the head had flown off to. "She got thrown over the wall."

"Thanks." She walked past her, leapt up onto the wall, and cupped her hands around her mouth. "Sakura! Are you out here?!"

"Ai-chan?! Is that you?!"

"Yeah, it's me! Hold on, I'm coming for you!" She stepped off, falling to the ground below and out of sight.

Maria stared at the wall for a moment, picturing Ai coming to help out her best friend and bringing her back up to her feet. She was somewhat jealous. She was smart enough to know that there was no way-

"Hey."

Her train of thought was cut off as a voice greeted her from the side. She turned to see Saki standing over her, extending a bandaged hand down to her level. "Wh…"

"You okay?"

She paused for a few seconds, just staring at her, before slowly reaching out and taking her hand. "Yeah, I'm okay." She let her pull her to her feet and just continued staring at her, confused by her sudden change of heart.

She stared back at her for a long few seconds before taking a deep breath. "You said you wanted to talk?"

Her eyes lit up and she struggled to contain her happiness at getting another chance. She nodded quickly, a wobbly smile spreading across her face.

She watched her, her expression unchanging, for what felt like an eternity before letting out a sigh. "Then let's-"

"You think this is over, you Dorami bastards?!"

The two girls each turned their gazes down to Atsuko, who was slowly but surely climbing up to her feet. Both scowled in unison. "Oh, come on! You lost! Get over it!" "Fuck off, shovel-for-brains! We're busy here!"

"I'm not finished yet!" she replied, gritting her teeth and picking back up her shovel. "You think-"

Saki immediately leaned forward and punched her in the throat, cutting her off, while Maria ripped the shovel out of her hands, turned it around, and hit her in the side of the head, knocking her out cold. The two watched her limply fall to the ground before Saki turned back to Maria. "Then let's get this over with."

She nodded and cupped her hands around her mouth. "Hey, Dorami! Let's get a move on! We got things to do!"

The three newbies, along with Lily and Junko, quickly made their way over to them and stood at attention. Ai hopped over the wall with Sakura's head in her hands, rushed over to her body, and dragged her over before sticking her head back on.

Maria's eyes scanned over her crew for a second before she started giving orders. "Okay! Now we got the bikes, so what we're gonna do now is, uhh…" She brought a hand to her chin. "You guys all go get gas or something. Me and Saki need some time alone."

The seven of them all complied with her commands, each turning back to the bikes at the entrance to the park. As they all walked away, Lily and Ai gave each other a subtle high-five and Sakura and Junko glanced over their shoulders hopefully. They all sat down on their own bikes, waited patiently for the newbies to each figure out which bikes were theirs, then led them out of the park at a snail's pace to help them learn how to drive.

Saki turned to the three Korosuke girls who weren't unconscious and motioned with her head. "Get outta here."

They each shot each other a worried look then scurried to carry their teammates over to their bikes. They all panicked, each trying to figure out how they were going to get five people out of there with only two bikes, before one of the girls offered to drag both unconscious girls under her arms while the other two walked their bikes alongside her. They all hurried off, clearly eager to regroup with the rest of Korosuke.

Maria stood side-by-side with her best friend until the friend in question turned around and walked over to the swings, where she took a seat without a word. Her eyes followed and she stood there for a long minute while Saki took out her phone.

"Hey… sorry… about… sending… you… off… to… fight. I swear… I'll… make… it… up… to… you." she read the text she composed aloud to herself as she wrote it then hit send. Finally, she put her phone back into her pocket and looked up at Maria. "Come on. Let's talk."


	140. The Talk

Saki and Maria sat side-by-side in a long, tense silence. The air was thick; the overcast sky and the humid Karatsu atmosphere combined to make some naturally unpleasant weather. A cold Spring dew was still dispersed across the ground and each of the swings the girls sat on were still completely covered in water from the downpour the day before. The gloomy environment reflected and even amplified the pressure between the two former best friends.

Maria was the first to break the silence as she took a deep breath and spoke. "So…" She paused for a moment to swallow the tension in her mind before continuing. "I'm… really sorry."

Saki looked over at her out of the corner of her eye, but didn't move her head in the slightest.

"I know that what I did was really shitty," she continued, "and I got a lot to apologize for. And I'm not gonna make excuses, either. I was a total dumbass." She hung her head and took a second then looked back up. "I'm gonna start this out by saying that I'm never gonna lie to you again. Ever. For any reason. Never gonna go behind your back, never gonna not tell you when I do something that involves you, never gonna act like things are fine when they're not." She reached across her chest and rubbed her arm humbly. "I know how much trust means to you… and I'm sorry I took it for granted. I'm sorry that I had to learn that lesson the hard way… no, I'm sorry that that was even a lesson I had to learn in the first place. I swear, I'll never, ever lie to you again."

She closed her eyes and a tiny smile escaped her lips. _That's good to hear…_

 _That doesn't matter. It doesn't change what she did._

She frowned. _Ugh, damn it… I know it doesn't, but that doesn't matter right now!_

 _Yes it does. I shouldn't even be talking to her right now._

 _No, I have to talk to her for the sake of the gang! I gotta look past what she did for just a FEW MINUTES and hear her out! Is that so damn much to ask?!_

 _This is ridiculous._

 _Gah, just shut up and listen to her!_ She tuned back into what Maria was saying to her and reopened her eyes.

"And that includes now, so… here's some stuff I should've told you before that I haven't yet." She took a deep breath and released her arm. "First off, I already know what you're thinking. Literally. Blackout texted Marshmallow yesterday asking what you were thinking and then she showed me. But I didn't tell her to or anything, she- actually, I told her NOT to. She did it anyways. I just… figured I should tell you because I'm being more honest with you from now on."

She blinked and stared straight ahead. _She's being more honest with me… she's got that right. She didn't even need to tell me that. I totally forgot about it._

"Second is, uh, the reason I'm even in Dorami at all." She swallowed. "Honestly, when I first joined Dorami, it wasn't to be cool or tough or whatever, it was just… because I… I started hating my mom."

She glanced over at her out of the corner of her eye. _You… what?_

"I hated how pathetic and weak she was, how much cooler she was when she was my age. I thought that joining Dorami would keep me from turning out like her." She rubbed her arm again and looked away. "But now… that's changed. I'm not in Dorami out of spite anymore. I'm in it because I like it. I like what we do, I like who I do it with…" She paused for a long moment. "Which… brings me to what was really the reason I did this… terrible thing."

There was a brief moment of silence between the two girls and a gentle rush of wind blew through the park. A frog could be heard nearby croaking.

Maria took a deep breath. "When you first showed up a few weeks ago, I didn't really know what to think. I mean, you're a zombie. You scared the crap out of me." She let out a small smirk before continuing. "But once I got over that part of you, you really… changed me. You changed me for the better. And when you said that I had the potential to be like what my mom was…" She took a long pause and swallowed. "Everything we did or planned to do from then on, whether it was competing in the Gatalympics or breaking into Misa's apartment or pulling pranks at the hospital… I kinda saw it as two best friends hanging out."

Saki's eyes widened and her heart rate sped up. _W-wait, is she saying that I'm her best friend…?_

"So… when we were sitting on that roof and you told my mom that you shouldn't be her best friend… that stung me, too."

Her breathing picked up and she gritted her teeth. _SHE DOES! Damn it! Why the hell does everyone think they can just care about me?!_ She looked down and shook her head. _She really is an idiot._ She paused for a long moment. _Or… am I the idiot? What if what they're telling me… is true?_

 _It's not. I shouldn't waste my time._

 _But what if it is? I keep telling myself that, but at this point…_

 _What would he think if he heard what I was thinking right now? This isn't gonna prove him wrong._

 _…But if I don't need to prove him wrong, then…_ She shook her head again. _No. You know what? I can think about that crap later. Right now…_ She looked back up and took a deep breath. _I'm listening._

Maria, of course, expected this kind of reaction from her and made sure that she had a sufficiently long pause before continuing. "What you said to my mom… kinda rocked my world. After you left, I talked to her for a bit longer and she told me you didn't want people caring about you and no one really knew why." Yet again, she reached across her chest and rubbed her arm. "When Bandages said that you had some kind of trauma… I decided that I would help you. I wanted you to be able to see me the same way i saw you." She had started choking up by this point and tears were forming in her eyes. "But… the way I did it…" She lowered her head and released her arm. "I was an idiot."

Her lip curled at the corner due to how uncomfortable this situation was quickly becoming. _She cries so easily…_

"Every part of what I did was just so stupid… from breaking into the hospital to not telling you about it to thinking that I could just avoid you when I found out. And then… the sting…" She hesitated for a long, tense moment then shivered and wrapped her arms tightly around themselves. "I almost got you captured by the government… I almost… cost you everything." She slumped down in her seat as her breathing became more and more unstable. "You're totally right to hate me…"

"Stop," she mumbled.

Her eyes shot back open and she turned to her. "W-what…?"

"Stop crying, man."

She stared at her for a second then looked back forward and wiped her eyes. "Right, sorry, I just…" She sniffled and brought her hands back together in her lap. "I'm so sorry… everything I've done these past two days… I wanted to do something good for you… and I totally screwed it all up. I shouldn't have gone behind your back, I shouldn't have broken into the hospital, I shouldn't have tried to hide it from you, I…" She stopped herself as her talk was getting a little too rambly. She paused for another quick moment then let out a sigh. "I just wish I could go back to Monday and stop myself from doing it."

 _Yeah, me too._

"I know what you're thinking… and you're right. I did go too far." She paused and let out another sigh. "I get it if you hate me. I probably would too if I were in your shoes. I can't blame you for that." She paused, took one last deep breath, then turned to look at her. "But can you at least give me another chance?"

There was a long, tedious minute of silence between the two girls for about a minute before Saki spoke. "Is that it?"

"Y-yeah," she croaked.

She took a moment to process all that had been said to her then took a deep breath and waved her hand. "Okay. Gimme a minute." She closed her eyes, brought her hands to her temples, and concentrated in deep thought. _Okay. Now-_

 _I need to get out of here,_ she thought urgently.

 _No, no, no, no, no. I'm not going anywhere. I need to calm down._ She brought a hand up to her face and removed her glasses to rub her eye sockets. _I can't do this to her. I have to make things right._

 _Right. I have to leave her behind._

 _No, that's not making things right!_

 _Yes it is. Not only does she know about what I did, but she just said that she cares about me, too. She's too stupid and letting her do anything else would be a bad idea._

 _No, it wouldn't! Was I even listening back there?! She's not stupid, she's-_

 _An idiot. It was her choice to mess around in something that wasn't her business._

 _Maybe it wasn't her business, but how the hell could she have known what she was getting herself into?! It-_

 _Was obviously more than she could handle._

 _OKAY, YEAH, MAYBE, BUT-_

 _She should have minded her own business._

 _YEAH! SHE SHOULD HAVE! BUT THAT DOESN'T MEAN-_

 _She isn't smart enough to know better._

She groaned in frustration. _SHE MADE A MISTAKE, OKAY?! SHE KNOWS IT WAS A MISTAKE! THE LEAST I CAN DO IS-_

Maria leaned over and looked at her face. "Uh… you okay?"

She held up a hand in her direction. "Just… shut up and gimme a minute!"

She reeled back quickly in response, leaning back in her seat. She watched her for a second then looked down at the ground. "…Sorry."

She gritted her teeth and tuned back into her internal monologue. _She's changed! I can see it! I should at least be willing to give her another chance! I gave Sakura one!_

 _Sakura didn't find out what I did. This is different._

 _I KNOW, BUT-_

 _No. I can't forgive her for this. I have to hate her for what she did._

 _BUT THAT'S-_

 _I have to leave her behind. I can't keep tolerating with someone who knows._

 _BUT-_

 _No._ She rose to her feet suddenly and clenched her fists. _I know I have to do this._ She glared down at the girl beside her and frowned. "Maria."

She looked up at her, clear anxiety on her face. "Yeah?"

She hesitated for a second before forcing out the words she knew she had to say. "You messed around with something you don't understand. This is way beyond anything you've EVER dealt with. You should learn your place." And with that, she turned back to the entrance of the park. She paused for a moment, her eyes filling with tears, before choking out one last phrase. "I'm sorry." She took a deep breath, hung her head, and began walking slowly toward her bike.

Maria watched her in a state of shock for a few seconds before finally processing what had been said to her. Her eyes welled up and her breathing turned sporadic and hurt. She hung her head as liquid sorrow began to fall from her eyes and hear heart snapped in half. She sat on the swingset, now alone, in absolute despair. Saki was gone, she'd pushed her away, and now she was out of her reach. She couldn't bring her back. It was over.

A strong breeze blew through the park, wiping the tears off both girls' faces.

Maria sat for what, to her, felt like an eternity, just feeling sorry for the two's lost friendship. Then she saw a glimmer in the darkness of her lap. She blinked, confused, for a second before twisting her wrist around to see that it was her handcuffs. In doing so, saw her reflection in its metallic surface; she saw the face of a weakling, someone who couldn't earn her friend back when it really mattered. "No…" she whispered, gritting her teeth. "No." She rose to her feet, wiped her eyes, and clenched her fists. She locked eyes with her best friend's back and, with newfound determination, took her on. "What do I need to do to make it up to you?!"

She stopped where she was and, with those pained, sunken eyes, looked at her over her shoulder. "You can't."

"Why not?!" she shouted, taking steady steps toward her. "Whatever you need me to do, I'll do it! Anything! I don't want you to hate me anymore!"

"There's nothing you can do!" she yelled back, turning around. "You said it yourself! You went too far!"

"I'm sorry I went behind your back, okay?! I just wanna go back to what we had before! I know I shouldn't have done it! I'm sorry this is the way I found out!"

"IT DOESN'T MATTER HOW YOU FOUND OUT!" she shouted, the pain in her voice loud and clear. "WHAT MATTERS IS THAT YOU DID!"

"WELL, THERE HAS TO BE SOMETHING I CAN DO!" she cried desperately. "I DON'T WANT YOU TO LEAVE ME BEHIND!" She stared into the sunken red eyes of the zombie, ready to reply to her next rebuttal, but to her surprise, it never came.

As soon as those words had left Saki's mouth, she'd frozen. Locked in place, staring onward in a state of terrible realization. _That's… exactly what he said… in my dream last night._ She felt her throat drying up as her mind processed what this meant.

She stared at her for a few slow seconds, waiting for the next argument, before slowly leaning forward and looking into her eyes. After a solid minute of hesitation, she spoke. "…Saki?"

She looked directly at her, her shocked expression unchanged. She merely met her gaze for a long moment before spilling her horrifying revelation. "H-he really is in my head."

Her eyes widened and she just stared back at her, unsure of how to reply. After a few uncomfortable seconds, she just swallowed. "Uh… yeah."

She stood there, suspended in a state of mental questioning and ambiguity. Suddenly, her mind wasn't her own anymore as she had once thought. It was true; she'd been brainwashed, conditioned by the man who raised her to think the way he did. She brought her hands up to her head and started taking rapid, panicked breaths. "Oh, god…" she whispered to herself. "This is…" She swallowed and her lip trembled. "Oh, god…"

She put a hand on her shoulder and grabbed one of her arms. "Hey, Saki, calm down. You're gonna be fine. You'll be fine." She pulled her into a hug. "You're gonna be fine. Just calm down. Calm down and we can talk about this."

She latched onto her jacket, her fingers eager to dig into something real. "Maria…"

"It's okay. Just calm down. I'm right here."

"I'm sorry…"

"It's okay. I'm sorry, too. Just calm down."

"Oh, god… I-"

"Calm. Down. Listen to me, Saki. Calm. Down."

"I… I can't," she choked. A cold sweat was forming on her forehead and her heartbeat was speeding up exponentially. "I don't know what's happening…"

"Okay, okay, that's okay. Just… lay down." She slowly lowered her body to the ground and felt her fingers slowly loosening their grip. She laid her on her back and stood over her on all fours, watching her chest rise and fall faster than she had ever seen. She winced as she recognized these symptoms. "Okay, now, don't freak out," she yelled, despite already freaking out herself, "but I think you're having a panic attack or something!"

"Oh, god, Maria, oh, god," she gasped. She clung onto her arm and squeezed with all her might. "Do something…"

"Hold on!" She pulled out her phone with her free hand and quickly opened Google. "I'm looking up how to help you! Just stay calm, you're doing fine!"

She trembled and pulled her knees into her chest. _What's… going on…?_ She felt her dead heart pump faster and faster and she grew more and more anxious. _I'm… he's… in my head… so… a panic attack? I'm panicking?_ She stared up at Maria's face as her vision narrowed and her throat ran dry. _Am I… dying…? No, I've… already died… it's… just a panic attack… I gotta calm down…_

She tapped on the first link and started scrolling through someone's personal anecdotes, eager to get to the stuff that actually mattered. "Come on…" she muttered under her breath. Finally, she came across a bulleted list and quickly started reading. "Okay, uh…" She placed her phone down on the zombie's chest and grabbed her hand with her own. "Okay, Saki, just calm down. You can get through this. Tell me what you need."

"What… I need…?"

She nodded. "Tell me what you need."

"I… I don't know," she replied, again gasping for air. "Just… stay with me…?"

She held her hand to her chest and nodded. "Yeah, I'll stay with you." She looked down at the phone and read from the screen. "Now, close your eyes and try to slow your breathing back down."

"O-okay…" She closed her eyes and gasped one big gulp of air before puffing up her cheeks and clenching her eyes shut. She tried to concentrate on holding her breath as well as she could.

"N-not like that! Don't just stop breathing!"

She reopened her mouth and quickly gasped and started breathing again, still at her rapid pace. _Oh, god… oh, god… oh, god…_

"Okay, now slow down! Slow down!"

She shook her head. "I can't!"

"Yes you can!" she shouted. "You're Saki fucking Nikaido! You've done tons of crap that people can't! You came back from the dead! You…" She paused for a second, trying to think of a second example, before giving up. "There's a reason they call you legendary! You can do this! I know you can!"

 _I'm… yeah…!_ She gritted her teeth and squeezed her hand as she actively slowed down her breathing despite the fact that her head told her she couldn't. Slowly but surely, her breathing turned down the tempo, coming to rest at a reasonable speed, soon followed by her heartbeat, which returned to its normal hauntingly slow pace. _I don't need to freak out over this._ After a long, painstakingly slow minute, she slowly opened her eyes and saw Maria's concerned face over her. She paused for a second before groaning and releasing her hand to facepalm herself. "Damn it…"

"What? Are you okay?"

"Okay?!" She removed her hand from her face and glared up at her. "What the hell do you think?!" She saw the face for the girl above her turn to regret and she groaned again. "No, ugh, sorry, I just… I'm stressed out right now, okay? I'm sorry."

"No, it's fine. I get it." She sat back and crossed her legs beside her. "You wanna talk about it?"

She let out a long, tired sigh. "I don't know." She laid her arms out flat on either side of her and looked up at the gloomy grey sky. She struggled to think of any way to convey how much this was affecting her; this revelation was groundbreaking and she'd lost her way because of it. She didn't know who she was, what thoughts were hers, or what was real and what was in her head. She thought she did, but now… "Man, this sucks."

She stared at her for a second then scooted herself closer to her and laid down on her back beside her. She stretched her arms out just as she had and looked to the sky as well. "What sucks about it?"

"Where do I even start? This is all so damn confusing…"

She glanced over at her. "You want me to help figure it out?"

She hesitated for a second as she processed her response and found herself conflicted yet again. _I want to, but… why does it feel so wrong…? It's because of him…! He's in my head!_ She blinked. _Why am I even still listening to this?! What am I doing?!_ Immediately, she pulled her arms back into her body and pushed herself off the ground, crossing her legs and resting her elbows on her knees. She looked over her shoulder at the girl on the ground beside her. "Hey, Maria?"

She looked over at her curiously. "Huh?"

"About all the crap I said before the 'learning your place' and whatever… I didn't mean it."

Her eyes lit up.

"If I'm bein' real, the only reason I did all that was 'cause I thought I had to. The old man always told me that if anyone else found out about what he did to us… it would be bad. I guess I was kinda forcing that on myself, too." She paused for a second then grew a small smile. "But… as long as he never finds out… I guess that isn't really a problem, huh?" She extended her hand toward her to help her up to her level. "You willing to put this behind us and just pick back up where we left off?"

This time, it didn't even take her a second to grow a grin that spanned from ear to ear and take her hand. She pulled herself up and immediately leaned forward and wrapped her other hand around Saki's back, overjoyed. "Why wouldn't I be?"

At first, she was surprised to be hugged like this, but after a few seconds she returned the favor and squeezed her best friend tightly. _Damn, it feels good to be back._ Her blissful reunion was interrupted, though, as she felt something poking into her back. "What the hell is on your arm?"

"Huh?" She broke out of the hug and held up the wrist that was on her back, displaying her handcuffs. "These."

Saki's eyes bulged open at the sight of the cuffs. "Aw, crap! I forgot about those! Gimme a sec!" She reached into her jacket pocket and felt around for a bit before finding a ring of keys. "Okay, good! Still got 'em!" She pulled them out and eagerly flipped to the handcuff one. "Jeez, I'm real sorry… did you have to sleep with those?"

She shrugged. "Eh, showering was worse. They kept getting caught in my hair."

She grabbed Maria's wrist and started maneuvering it around so that she could detach the cuffs. "Listen, about all the crap I said to you yesterday about being a traitor and whatever… I'm sorry about that, too. You didn't deserve that."

She waved her other hand as the first cuff came undone and fell from her wrist. "Nah, don't worry about it. I'd be pissed too if someone did that to me."

"No, but, I mean, you were crying, and I just kept ragging on you, and I left your handcuffs on overnight! Didn't matter how pissed I was, I should have at least slowed my roll." She watched the second cuff fall to the ground and looked up at her face. "I shouldn't have done all that crap to you."

She rubbed her now free wrist and gave her a warm smile back. "You know what? Let's not worry about who did what to who, okay? Let's just forget this whole mess ever happened and just go back to what we had before. Like you said."

 _Yeah. Let's just do that._ She grew her own smile for a second, but it soon faded away as she remembered one crucial detail about Maria's initial apology. "You said… I was your best friend."

Her own smile fell as well and she sheepishly rubbed her arm. "Y-yeah… I hope that's not a problem for you."

She looked down slightly and blinked. "I mean… I don't want people caring about me, but now that I know he's in my head…" She looked back up at her, uncertainty in her eyes. "What if that's him? I don't know which thoughts are mine anymore."

Her eyebrows shot up and she crawled forward and sat beside her, crossing her legs and planting a hand on her shoulder. "That's him. I promise you, that's him. That's not you."

"No, I mean, I'm not gonna push you away 'cause you care about me. Bandages had a good point a couple nights ago and I'm not doing that as much. But knowing that he's in my head… it's weird. I guess it's just something I gotta figure out."

After a second or so, Maria pulled her hand away and rested her elbows on her knees like Saki had. "Yeah, well, it's not something you'll have to figure out alone."

She turned her head toward her.

"You got me, you got your sisters, you got your whole crew. We're all here for you." She took a quick pause then smiled. "You and me? We're gonna conquer the whole damn country together, 'kay?"

She stared at her for a quick moment then grinned. "Hell yeah." She held up her fist for a fist bump. "You and me."

The two girls shared their bump and each cast a hopeful look up to the sky, where the sun was finally peeking through. Saki's smile only grew from here. _Now things are really looking up for us._

Maria looked down at her fist, unimpressed. "You know, fist bumps are nice, but we should come up with something better."

She looked over at her and raised an eyebrow. "Like what?"

She shrugged. "Secret handshake?"

A smirk appeared on her face. "A secret handshake? What are you, twelve?"

"No, no, no, trust me on this one. We could make this really cool."

She paused for a moment then gave in. "Alright. Show me what you got."


	141. The Stolen Opportunity

Some thirty minutes after they had left, four Dorami motorcycles and three Korosuke ones rolled through Karatsu at a most leisurely pace. All the experienced riders, the zombies on crimson rides, were bored out of their minds as they followed the three newbies, the humans on black rides, through the streets, occasionally yelling to them to not run into traffic and stay off the sidewalk and whatnot. Overall, it was an agonizingly slow experience, especially for a trip that was only a kilometer or so to the gas station and back. After what felt like forever, the park the gang had let from was finally back in sight and the four zombies sped ahead to stop right at its entrance. As each one stopped and looked into the park one by one, wide smiles began to creep across all their faces at the sight of what lay within.

Saki and Maria sat on the park's swings, side-by-side, each with one arm extended. They both held one end of Saki's smartphone, on which they were clearly watching a video as they were laughing their asses off. They were clearly comfortable in each others' company and Maria's handcuffs were totally gone. All in all, it was more than apparent that they had made up.

Lily leapt off her bike without even bothering to turn it off. She landed halfway across the park and started sprinting toward them, arms outstretched. "Saki-chan! Maria-chan!"

They each looked up just in time for the child to wrap her arms around both of them and pull them close to her. "Ugh!" "Gah! What the hell, Shrimpy?!"

"I'm just so happy you guys made up!" she squealed. She stepped back and grinned from ear to ear. "Seeing you guys back together makes me so happy! This is the best!"

Maria smirked as she released the phone and stood up. "Yeah, makes me happy, too, kid." She ruffled up her hair then put her hands in her pockets and looked over her shoulder at the zombie sitting on the swing next to her. "Hey, let's show her the handshake."

She looked up at her and chuckled. "Alright. Shrimpy, you're gonna love this." She slipped the phone back into her pocket and stood up, standing directly in front of Maria. The two immediately began, starting with a horizontal high-five with the right hand that moved back into a backhand high-five. They moved on to a fist bump on the vertical axis that transitioned back into what seemed like it was going to be the same thing in the other direction, but the two hands caught each other instead. Then Saki and Maria both pulled, popping Saki's hand off at the wrist. Maria tossed it in the air as Saki swung her now handless arm around and the two came back together as Maria caught the hand and pressed it back into place. Then the two used their grip to pull one another close enough to bump shoulders and backed up, releasing their shake, extending all their fingers, and making a "boosh" sound with their mouths.

Lily had stars in her eyes and her cheeks hurt from how wide she was smiling. "Wow! That was so good!" she gushed.

"You're damn right it was!" Saki cheered back. She put her hands on her hips and flashed a cheeky grin. "Now go back over with the others. It's time to get started."

"Okay!" She turned around and gleefully skipped back to the entrance of the park, where the rest of the girls had stepped off their bikes more calmly than she had and had also taken the liberty of shutting off her bike for her.

She looked back to her boss and motioned toward the crew. "You take the lead."

She nodded and confidently strut forward, crossing her arms as she stopped. "Alright! Now that we got everything taken care of, we can get down to business! First things first…" She looked to the four zombies. "Kamikaze Squad! How's their driving?"

"It was good!" Sakura replied cheerily. "They're coming along really well!"

"Okay, but are they ready to go around collecting tribute?"

"Oh, well, um, we go really fast and, um, this trip to the gas station was…" She glanced over at the newbies then looked back to her bosses and whispered with a hand between her mouth and the three humans. "It was really slow."

"They need more work," Ai said bluntly.

"Hm." She brought a hand to her chin and turned to Saki. "What do you think?"

She paused for a second to think before answering. "We can split into two groups for today. We send one of my squad to train the newbies somewhere and the rest of us can handle tribute."

She eyed the zombies before her as if choosing from a menu. "Blackout's the best driver, right?"

"Yeah, I'd send her."

"Got it." She looked directly at Sakura. "Blackout! You're in charge of training the newbies to drive!"

She blinked. "Eh?! Me?"

"Yeah, you! You gave Marshmallow a lesson, didn't you?"

She rubbed her arm nervously. "Well, it was more of a joint effort between me and Ai-chan… I don't know if I can do it alone, especially if I'm teaching three people instead of just one…"

She paused for a moment then her gaze shifted to Junko. "You think you can handle your guys' part alone?"

"You mean encircling them? I should be able to do that just fine."

"Cool. Bandages, you're with Blackout."

Ai turned and gave Sakura a warm smile.

"The rest of you are handling tribute with me and Saki! Any questions?"

Sachio raised her hand.

She looked to her and opened her mouth to speak then stopped. She glanced at Saki out the corner of her eye. "You got a nickname for her yet?"

"Freefall."

"Ooh, yeah, I like yours more." Her gaze turned back to the human before her. "Freefall! What's your question?!"

She crossed her arms and was about to speak when she paused and looked at Saki questioningly. "Freefall's my nickname?"

"Yeah!" She pointed to each of the humans in order from Emi to Hana to Sachio. "Gizmo, Silence, and Freefall!"

Hana grinned and gave a thumbs up.

Sachio shrugged and picked back up where she left off. "Anyways, when do I get my jacket?"

Maria's eyes widened slightly at her reminder. "Oh, right!" She turned to Ai and Sakura. "Can one of you actually come with us to go get Freefall's jacket from my house? I only grabbed two."

The two looked at each other for a second before Ai volunteered. "You know the city better, so it's probably better that you go find us a place to train them then text me where it is."

Sakura gasped and gave her a gracious smile. "That's right! You're so clever, Ai-chan!"

A light blush appeared on her face and she looked away. "It wasn't THAT clever…"

Maria rolled her eyes. "Whatever! Blackout, you go take the newbies! Bandages will come with us to get the jacket then meet back up with you! Okay?"

Sakura nodded. "Okay!" She turned around and sat down on her bike, waving at her friend as she did so. "Bye, Ai-chan! I'll text you! Come on, guys!" She turned on her bike and slowly began rolling down the street, keeping her eyes on her mirror to make sure the newbies were right behind her. Eventually, she and the three humans disappeared from sight, their engines' gentle purrs fading into silence.

Junko turned to Saki with a wide smile. "I see you took my advice."

She blinked. "Huh? What advice?"

"To follow your heart."

"Oh, right." She grew a smug grin. "Sorry to burst your bubble, but your advice didn't do it for me."

"Really? Then what did?"

"Oh, you know." She playfully elbowed Maria in the side. "Amabuki here just helped me figure out why my head was acting so stupid."

Lily's eyes lit up. "So all that time Maria-chan spent with Sakura-chan practicing paid off!"

"Eh, not really," Maria shrugged. "It wasn't the apology that did it. Wasn't until we started yelling at each other that she figured out her old man was in her head."

The three zombies' eyes just about popped out of their heads at this comment and their gazes all slowly slid over to their sister. "Seriously?" Ai asked in pure disbelief.

"Yeah, it's a mess," Saki sighed. "Didn't realize until I said something that he said in my dream last night. Sorry I didn't listen to you sooner."

She glanced at the two girls beside her then looked back at her, still retaining her questioning expression. "So you believe us, then? About everything we've been telling you?"

She hesitated for a second then glared to the side and crossed her arms. "It was only, like, half an hour ago, okay? Gimme a break. I don't have everything figured out yet."

"Yeah, cut her some slack, Bandages," Maria added. "She just had a freakin' panic attack. Just let her chill."

Junko's eyes widened and her gaze turned to Saki. "You had a panic attack?"

She looked back at her with a lazy shrug. "It's not that big a deal. I'm fine."

"Are you sure?" Ai prodded. "From what I've heard, panic attacks are kind of a big deal."

Lily tugged on her sister's sleeve. "Hey, Ai-chan? What's a panic attack?"

She glanced down at her and paused for a second as she thought of a good way to explain. After a moment, she bit her lip and shook her head. "You're better off googling it."

"Trust me, guys, I'm totally fine," Saki assured them, to which she received a handful of skeptical stares. She put up her hands and let out a deep breath. "Okay, I get it. I've been a total handful when it comes to this stuff and I guess I've been acting kinda weird."

"Kinda?" Lily remarked.

"Cram it, Shrimpy! What I'm tryin' to say here is that I get why you guys don't believe me when I say I'm fine. But I'm done with that whole 'don't think about it' crap. I know I'm messed up, I know I got a lot of issues to work through, and I know I've been trying to ignore that. But right now…" She draped her arm across Maria's shoulders and squeezed her best friend with a smile. "I'm just really glad everything's back to normal."

"You said it," Maria concurred, mimicking her one-armed embrace.

Ai eyed her, still suspicious. "So you're actually fine?"

"She's telling the truth," Junko interjected, regaining her wide smile at seeing the two friends so genuinely happy together.

She glanced at her for a second then looked back at her sister and let out a sigh. "Okay, then. But you should still keep thinking about it so that someday soon, you'll be able to see the way he's conditioned you to think and put an end to it."

Saki waved a hand nonchalantly. "Yeah, yeah! Let's worry about that crap later, though, okay?" She threw a fist in the air and cheered. "Right now we got some tribute to collect!"

"After we get Freefall's jacket," Maria added.

"Uh, yeah, after that." She removed her arm from Maria's shoulders and stuck her hands in her pockets. "Now let's go."

Maria put her arms behind her head and let out a relaxed sigh as she started walking to the bikes with her best friend beside her. "You know what we gotta see? Initial D. You would totally love it."

"Yeah? What's it about?"

"Street racing."

"Oh, damn, you know me too well," she smirked. "What is it, like, a movie or something?"

Ai, Junko, and Lily all gave each other confident smiles and hurried after the two, Lily politely yet loudly informing them of the fact that Initial D is an anime.

* * *

The five red bikes rolled to a stop at the base of the Amabuki household and their rumbling soon came to an end as their engines were all killed one by one. After a few seconds of her motor dying down, Maria set down her kickstand, pulled her keys from their keyhole, and started walking backwards up the stairs. "Be back in a minute!" she called, turning back around the second she completed the statement. Within a short moment, she'd reached the top of the stairs and disappeared from sight with confirmation of her arrival in the form of the sound of the front door opening and closing behind her.

The four zombies sat back in their seats and relaxed, just enjoying themselves in the meantime. "I'm glad the sun finally came back out," Junko stated happily. "It feels good."

"Yeah, me too, sis," Saki replied, putting her arms behind her head and kicking her feet up onto the dash. She looked up at the house beside her and took a strong, confident breath. _Damn… haven't felt this good in weeks._

Ai watched her for a minute or so then spoke. "Hey, Saki, do you mind if I ask you something?"

She looked over her shoulder at her and raised an eyebrow. "What's up?"

"Now that you realize that your old man really did condition your thinking, do you think that has something to do with why Reiko's mad at you? That you don't understand something she's upset about?"

She went silent and just kept staring at her sister for a quiet moment then looked back up at the house. "I guess so, yeah."

She hesitated for a second, trying to think of a way to suggest to her without sounding too weird. "Maybe she'd be glad to hear that you realize you could be wrong and might see her point soon."

 _Would she?_ She pursed her lips as she thought. _Well, don't really have anything to lose, I guess…_ She sat there for a few more seconds before removing her arms from behind her head and pushing herself up with a grunt. She rose to her feet and looked back to her sisters. "Hey guys, I'm gonna be right back."

"Okay!" Lily replied.

With that, she turned back around and walked up the stairs, headed toward an old friend. She turned at the top and walked forward, coming to a stop before the front door. She slowly started bringing up her hand and reaching for the knob but soon stopped herself, realizing that Reiko probably wouldn't appreciate her barging in like the last few times, and instead moved her hand over to the doorbell. She pressed her finger down, released it, and heard the chime on the other side. Finally, she brought her hand back to her side and stared straight ahead.

There was a quiet rumbling from inside then a short period of silence before the door slowly creaked open, revealing the purple-haired mother she'd come here to meet. Her gaze was tender; nostalgic, even. "She'll be out in a minute," she said softly.

"I'm not here for her," she replied bluntly.

Her eyes widened slightly and her grip on the door tightened but she kept steady, continuing to stare at her from just inside the door. "What is it?"

She inhaled sharply through her teeth and brought a hand up to rub the back of her neck. "Aw, jeez, where do I even start… I'm sorry for being such a bitch to you these last few weeks."

She blinked and leaned back slightly in surprise. "What?"

"You know, all the crap about you not being over how I died and how I shouldn't have been your best friend and whatever." She looked down and to the side for a second as she removed her glasses then looked back up at her without the filter between them. "I'm sorry."

Her grip on the door loosened and a small smile appeared on her lips. "It's okay." She paused for a second then lowered her smile to ask a question. "What happened to make you say that?"

She pressed a hand to her temple and sighed. "It's kinda complicated. Basically, I just realized my old man brainwashed me."

Her eyebrows shot up and her jaw dropped in shock. "What? Already?"

She dropped her hand and squinted up at her. "'Already'? The hell's that supposed to mean?"

"Oh, I…" She put up her hands to emphasize that she was explaining. "I was there when Ai was pitching her plan to help you. She emphasized that it would take some time for you to realize that he conditioned your thinking, but I guess that's not really the case." She chuckled and gave her a warm smile. "You always were unpredictable."

She continued staring for a moment then smirked. "Heh. So you already know about the old man, huh?"

She nodded. "I know."

Just then, Maria appeared at the bottom of the stairs behind her, a red jacket over her shoulder. She was paying attention to her phone when she landed but looked up when she noticed the front door was wide open. "What's going on?"

Reiko looked over her shoulder at her daughter as Saki leaned to the side and called out to her. "Hey, Maria! I'm just tellin' your mom about my old man!"

"Oh, she already knows, dude."

"Yeah, I got that!"

She slipped her phone into her pocket and stepped down into the genkan behind her mother. "Well, make it quick. We gotta go." She sat down and started putting back on her boots.

Saki looked back up at Reiko and took a deep breath. "Well, anyways, I guess what I'm trying to say is… I still don't get what your point is about me leaving you behind and whatever. But maybe I will soon."

The woman's smile grew wider than she had seen it in weeks and she leaned down and wrapped her arms around her. "I'm looking forward to it."

She returned the favor, squeezing her old friend the way she had squeezed Maria just a short while prior. After a few seconds, the hug broke apart and the two were across from each other again. She put her arms behind her head with a number of snaps and pops. "C'mon, Maria, let's get moving! Tribute isn't gonna collect itself!"

"I know, damn it!" she snapped as she moved on to her next boot. "Gimme a minute!"

Reiko glanced down at her daughter for a second then turned back to the zombie. "You know, when you said that you weren't here for her, I was honestly a little worried you'd come because you were upset with me."

She laughed and shook her head. "Nah. Don't really have anything to be mad about right now."

"Good. I was worried that you might be upset to learn how he died."

Immediately, she froze and slowly turned her head back toward her. Her face was no longer cool and happy. Now, it was surprised dismay. "What?"

Her relieved smile fell and she turned to her daughter behind her. "Maria, you told her what happened to her father, didn't you?"

She looked up at her for a moment then turned her gaze to Saki. "Didn't Bandages tell you?"

She stared at her friend on the floor for a moment then turned around and sprinted over to the balcony overlooking the bikes. _No way… No way…_ She planted her hands on he railing and shouted over the edge. "BANDAGES!"

Ai looked up at her, surprised at her urgent and direct tone. "What?"

"Wait, Saki!" Reiko called, stepping away from the door toward her. "She wasn't in the room when I told them!"

Her head swiveled back around and she started marching over. "WHAT HAPPENED?!" she cried. "I THOUGHT HE WAS IN JAIL! HE'S DEAD?!"

"It happened after you died!" she yelled back, rushing forward to grab her hands. She held her hands together and clasped her own around them. "There's no way you could have known."

She stared at the two's conjoined hands for a second then looked up at her, her heart throbbing. "What happened?" she asked, more calmly but still dismayed. "What did him in?"

She hesitated for a long moment, her mouth open. After what felt like an eternity, she swallowed. "I did."

In that instant, time seemed to slow to a crawl. Her heartbeat's tempo dropped to that of a snail's and her breathing stopped. She took a long, quiet minute to process what had just been said to her before quietly croaking out her pained reaction. "You… killed my old man?"

She slowly nodded. "Me, Naoko, Roxy, Kioko, Chiyoko, Tokiwa, and Shiori."

Finally, she understood the gravity of what was being said to her and gritted her teeth. _You…_ She yanked her hands from her hold, stood up on her toes, and shouted in her face. "YOU KILLED MY OLD MAN?!"

There were a number of shocked gasps from the bottom of the stairs. Three hushed whispers quietly made their entrance.

Reiko stared down at her friend, clearly troubled by her rather emotional reaction. "I'm sorry," she said quietly. "What he said about you at the funeral-"

"I DON'T CARE WHAT HE SAID!" she roared. "ALL I CARE ABOUT IS WHAT HE'S NEVER GONNA SAY NOW!"

Maria quickly finished the knot on her second boot and stood up, running over to her. She planted her hands on her shoulders and pushed her back away from her mother. "Saki, calm down! Calm down!"

She stepped back with her movements and turned to her, now breathing heavily with grief. "You knew about this…?"

"I thought you did, too."

She shook her head. "No." She looked back at Reiko, her voice now weak and dry. "What the hell is wrong with you?" she scowled, her face stained with lost opportunity.

"I'm sorry," she whimpered, bringing a hand to her chest. She stared at her with more guilt than she had ever seen on her face. "It was so long ago…"

"I don't care when it happened," she growled, trying and failing to keep her emotions under control. She attempted to take a step forward but was stopped by Maria's hands which were still pressed into her shoulders. She glanced at her then brought a hand up and rubbed her eyesockets. "What the hell am I supposed to do now?"

Reiko reached out to her slowly and gently. "Saki, you-"

"I WASN'T ASKING YOU!" she shouted. She looked to the side past both Amabukis. "Maria, get her out of here."

She stared at her for a second then gradually twisted her head around until she was staring over her shoulder at her mother. "You should go back inside."

She stood there for a moment, her hand still pressed into her chest, before croaking out one last "I'm sorry." With that, she ever so slowly took one step after another until she was back in her genkan. Then she grabbed the door handle and, still keeping her eyes on her long lost friend, closed the door.

Immediately, the three zombies from below hopped over the railing behind their sister and surrounded her. Ai reached out and placed a hand on her shoulder. "Saki… are you okay?"

She took a deep breath, but didn't respond any more than that. Her fists were still clenched shut. _Damn it, Reiko…_

She looked up at Maria questioningly. "Reiko actually killed him?"

She nodded. "Yeah. Apparently, at the funeral, he really tore into her. Called her all this terrible crap. So my mom and my aunt and some other people took him outside and beat him to death."

"How brutal…" Junko winced. She brought a hand to her chin. "What could he have said to warrant such an extreme reaction?"

"I think he deserved it!" Lily pouted. "He killed Saki-chan's mom! That's just a taste of his own medicine!"

Junko gasped and looked down at the child, shocked by her brashness. "Lily-chan!"

"What? You don't think so, too?"

"Eye for an eye isn't really how the law works…" Ai rebutted. "And, besides, maybe we shouldn't be talking about whether he deserved it right in front of her."

"He did," Saki murmured, looking over her shoulder at her sisters, knocking Ai's hand off in the process. "He definitely did."

Lily smugly crossed her arms and smirked up at her sisters. "See? Saki-chan thinks so, too."

Ai glared down at her. "Now's not the time," she whispered through gritted teeth. She looked back at the blonde, concerned. "Are you okay?"

She took a deep breath and looked back forward over Maria's shoulder. "I'm fine, I just… really wanted to prove him wrong before he croaked."

Junko took a slow step forward and placed a hand on her shoulder. "You don't have to."

She sighed. "I sure as hell hope you're right," she grumbled, gritting her teeth and glaring at the front door where Reiko had disappeared to. "'Cause I don't really have a choice anymore."

There was a minute of silence before Maria looked into her eyes and leaned over to get into her line of sight. "You sure you're okay?"

She looked at her and nodded. "Yeah, I'll be fine. Besides, we got work to do."

"Yeah." She brought up a hand and patted her on the shoulder. "Let's raise some hell." She looked past her at the black-and-red-haired zombie. "Bandages, you got that text yet?"

"Oh, uh…" She reached into her pocket, flipped open her phone, and looked down to read it. "Yeah, I got it."

"Good." She picked the red jacket up off her own shoulder and hurled it over Saki straight at her face. "Heads up!"

Saki turned around just in time to see the jacket collide with the completely defenseless face of her sister and couldn't help but start cracking up. "Ha! Nice catch!"

She stood there for a second then reached her empty hand up and dragged the jacket off her face, now sporting an unimpressed expression. "You really are a child."

"I'm a decade older than you! What does that make you?"

She rolled her eyes, dropped her phone back into her pocket, and started down the stairs. "Whatever. I'll see you guys later."

"Bye, Ai-chan!" Lily waved.

"Have a good time," Junko smiled. "See you later."

She raised a hand as a silent goodbye and disappeared down the stairs. A short moment later, the rumbling of an engine fired up and she and her bike took off, disappearing down the street.

Maria clapped her hands together to get her crew's attention. "Alright! Now let's get going! We got a lotta tribute to collect and we shoulda started an hour ago!" She jogged over to the stairs and quickly hopped down to her bike. "C'mon, guys!"

"Coming~!" Lily sang, jumping straight over the balcony to the ground below. She was soon followed by Junko, who did the same, albeit a bit more daintily than she did.

Saki put her hands in her pockets and walked around to the top of the stairs. Once she reached the top, she glanced at the house one last time and noticed Reiko's sorry face staring back at her through the window. She scowled at the sight of her old man's killer, looked away, and jumped down the stairs directly onto the seat of her bike. She took a second to recoil from the landing then quickly turned her bike back on and revved its engine. "Let's go knock out some tribute!"


	142. The Best One There Is

With one hand on her brake and one hand out to the side signaling to the zombies behind her, Maria slowed to a stop just outside the first park on their usual route. It was small but also well-built, housing a see-saw, a slide, a swingset, and a full-size jungle gym. It seemed to be a popular spot for people, specifically teenagers, to hang out. And just as she'd hoped, some of her prey was here right now.

Sitting atop the jungle gym were three boys, each with a cigarette between their fingers and each with eyes locked on the Dorami girls. They seemed anxious.

She heard the three zombies she was with stop behind her and turn off her engines so she glanced over her shoulder at them. "You guys ready?"

Junko nodded. "Let's begin."

All four of the girls pulled out their keys and stepped off their bikes in perfect unison, already in formation. Maria stuck her hands in her pockets and started walking into the park with her menacing look on. "Hey!" she called up to the boys on the structure. "You idiots got our tribute for this week?!"

The three of them glanced down at her for a second then looked back at each other. A low whisper broke out among the three. "Dude, tell her." "No way, dude, you tell her!" "I'm not doing that! Why doesn't Haruno do it?" "What?! Me?! You're the one who-"

"HEY!" she yelled, much louder than before. "YOU GOT IT OR NOT?!"

Their eyes bulged open and one of them looked down and made eye contact with her. "Uh… no."

She raised an eyebrow. "You don't, huh?"

"I-I mean, we did, but-"

Maria snapped her fingers.

The three of them let out a collective gasp as two of the three zombies easily jumped up to where they were. One of them dug into his pocket and threw his wallet at Lily's chest. "Here! You can check for yourself! Just don't hurt me!"

The child held the wallet in her hands for a second before leaning forward, placing a hand on his knee, and throwing her fist into his throat. "Sorry!" she giggled. "But if you can't pay, we have to teach you to pay! Isn't that right, Saki-chan?"

"Damn right!" she replied, grabbing one of them by the collar of his shirt and throwing him off the structure to the ground below. She turned to the last one, seated at the top of the structure, and simply pushed him, forcing him to fall between the jungle gym's bars. She watched him fold like a shrimp and fall through to the bottom, laughing as he did so. Then she jumped between the bars herself and reached for his wallet, which he was in no state to defend. She opened it and found only 350 yen. _Damn, this dude's basically broke._ She emptied the cash into her pocket and tossed the wallet back at him before climbing back up to the top of the structure. She looked down at the boy she had thrown off the top to find Lily already looting him. "Alright." She stepped off the jungle gym and landed in front of Maria and Junko. "Let's get a move on."

Maria's eyebrows raised on her forehead in admiration. "Damn, that was really fast." She looked over at Lily. "Hey, Shrimpy! We're outta here!"

"Okay!" She tossed the wallet back down on the boy she was in the middle of harassing and trotted back over to the group. "I only got a couple hundred yen…"

"Me, too," Saki added, bringing her arms up behind her head. "Damn, I hate when they don't have enough…"

"I'm sure we'll have better luck with the next one," Junko smiled.

"Yeah, yeah," Maria sighed. "It's just such a crappy start, y'know? But we'll totally get our fill on the next one."

* * *

"Whaddya mean you don't have it?!" she barked.

"W-well, we did, but…" the girl before her sputtered out, raising her hands in defense.

"But WHAT, huh?! We don't have time to listen to your sob story!" She raised her hand over her head and snapped.

Saki and Lily stepped around their boss and descended upon the two girls cowering before them on the ground. While Lily cutely apologized for what she was doing, Saki loved every second of it, kicking the girl before her in the gut for missing such a crucial part of being in Dorami turf. Junko didn't even have time to encircle them once before they were done. The three all made their way back to Maria, still disappointed. "Jeez, two in a row, huh…?" Saki sighed. "That's some pretty crappy luck." She dropped her hands into her pockets and let out a smirk. "But three in a row is totally impossible. There's no way that'll happen."

* * *

"We can't pay you," the man mumbled awkwardly. "We don't have any money to give."

Maria stared at him in disbelief. "You're kidding, right?"

"No. I'm sorry, but-"

And then she snapped.

* * *

"W-we don't have it!"

"What the hell?!" Maria shouted, throwing her hands up in frustration. "Why doesn't anyone have our tribute?! Do they LIKE getting their asses beat?!" She stared angrily at the boys before her for a second before sighing and lifting her fingers up. And then she snapped.

* * *

"Sorry, Miss Amabuki, but…"

"Lemme guess," she groaned, crossing her arms. "You don't have it."

The girl before her let out a slow, cautious nod.

And then she snapped.

* * *

And then she snapped.

* * *

And then she snapped.

* * *

And then she-

"Another gang took it from us first!"

And then she stopped. She froze her hand in place where it was and slowly looked the girl who said that in the eyes. "What?"

"There was another gang who came here and took our money first! We were gonna give it to you, but…"

She squinted, lowered her hand, and leaned forward. "Who?"

"Huh?"

"I'm askin' you which gang took it!"

"O-oh! Um, they called themselves… Korosuke, I think."

She stared at her for another second then clenched her fists. "Tsk! I should've known something was up!" She turned around to face the zombies behind her. "Korosuke's stealing our tribute!"

"What?!" Saki yelled. "You serious?!"

"No way!" Lily frowned. "They're so mean!"

"That makes sense, actually…" Junko stated, bringing a hand to her chin. "Maria-san, do you remember when we encountered those girls in the park earlier? There were three other girls there. We must have interrupted them in the middle of collecting it."

Saki turned to her. "Huh?! You tellin' me they've been doing it since this morning?"

"Maybe yesterday, too. After all, we never finished yesterday…"

"Um, excuse me," the girl Maria had been harassing interrupted, "but are you going to beat me up?"

Maria glanced over her shoulder and waved a hand. "Nah. We got bigger fish to fry. You're off the hook this week." She looked back over at Saki. "We gotta do something about this."

She grinned and pounded her fists together excitedly. "Hell yeah! Let's go find Misa and teach her a lesson!"

"Yeah!" Lily cheered.

"We aren't going to be fighting, are we?" Junko whimpered.

"Oh, suck it up, Marshmallow!" Maria scolded as she ran past her to her bike. "We gotta kick their asses somehow! Let's go!"

* * *

A freezing sensation woke Atsuko from her slumber and she jolted upright. "GAH!" she screamed, not even aware of her surroundings. She blinked and looked around for a second, observing that she was on a bench in the pavillion in front of the Karatsu library. Not a moment later, though, an aching, pulsing pain appeared on the side of her head and she groaned and brought a hand up to it. "Ohhhh…"

"Don't move too much, Atsuko-chan!" someone beside her urged, pushing her back down. "You're really hurt!"

"What…?" She blinked and turned to the girl in question, who she recognized as Yasuho, one of the girls in her squad. "What happened…?"

"We got bodied by Dorami."

Slowly but surely, her memories of what had happened just a few hours prior came rushing back and she sulked in response. "Ugh…" She brought a hand up to her face and dragged downwards in a show of defeat. "Damn it… if only that stupid zombie bitch wasn't there… we could have kicked Maria's ass."

"I dunno, she was doing pretty good by herself… she kept off three of us. Those Dorami girls are just a different breed." She slowly pressed the ice pack into the side of her head again.

"Gah! Give me that!" She ripped the bag from her hand and slowly tapped it against the side of her head where the shovel had hit her. "No, Maria is the only one who's really even close to being like her. You saw the other two, right? I'm willing to bet that the rest aren't great at fighting, either."

She stared at her for a few seconds then shrugged. "Whatever you say, Atsuko-chan…" She stood up and glanced over at the squad's two remaining bikes as well as its three other members. "Misa-san's already on her way, so she'll probably wanna talk with you."

She slowly sat up, holding the ice pack to the side of her head. "What? Who called her?"

"I did."

"What did you say?"

"I told her that we had a fight with Dorami where Saki showed up halfway through and you got hurt and we lost three bikes. She didn't sound really happy."

"Who would be after news like that?" one of the other girls remarked with a sigh.

Atsuko watched the others for a second before leaning back on her elbow and staring up at the sky. "I swear, Dorami just keeps getting more and more problematic… We should do something about them. For good."

"What can we do, though?" Yasuho replied glumly. "Every time we take them on, Saki just beats all of us without breaking a sweat."

"Saki beats us…" Her eyes widened with inspiration. "…But what if…"

"Huh?"

Just then, there was an all too familiar honking echoing down the street. The group turned and looked in its direction to see a black bike with a silver-haired rider headed toward them at high speeds. "Ah, well, here she comes, Atsuko," Kumiko stated, taking a seat on one of the benches nearby. "Let's see what she has to say."

Once Misa was almost perpendicular to the group, she turned her bike to the side, creating a loud screech, then pulled back on her throttle, forcing her bike up into the pavillion while also threading the needle between the barriers meant to keep cars from riding up out of the street. Then she held her brakes down for how long was needed to stop, turned off her bike, and looked up, her glowing red eyes shining through the bangs covering one of her eyes. "Arashi Squad."

The five all stared back at her silently, save for the one unconscious girl, who was snoozing away.

She stepped off her bike and walked over, her heels clacking across the bricks beneath her feet. She stopped above the unconscious one and looked at her for a second then glanced at Atsuko. "How bad are your injuries?"

She gestured with her eyes to the bump on the side of her head. "I got hit with my own shovel."

"Are you doing okay? Can you stand?"

She paused for a second then turned her body and planted her feet on the ground. She shifted her weight forward and slowly rose to her feet, a slight headrush coming on as she did so but nothing too major.

A relieved smile spread across her lips. "Good." She looked over at the squad's other notable person. "Kumiko."

She stood at attention nervously. "Yes, Miss Misa!"

"I'm not upset with you for surrendering so soon. In fact, I think that giving up was the smartest course of action in that situation."

She blinked and stared at her, confused. "Huh? You do?"

"Saki was going to take your bike either way. One more opponent wouldn't have made any difference. There was nothing you could have done." An emotion of admiration spread across her face. "She truly is unstoppable."

"Uh, yeah."

"Now." She turned back to Atsuko. "As my new second-in-command, I want your advice."

She hesitated momentarily but soon remembered how two of her three superiors had each quit in the last few days. "Oh! Right! Okay!" She walked over to her, still holding the ice pack to her head. "What's going on?"

She brought a hand to her chin. "As you know, Dorami is a major threat to Korosuke now. They keep stealing our bikes, throttling our influence, and now, interfering with our regular operations. The fact of the matter is that they are costing us a significant amount of money. So much so that I think that we'll be in the red in as little as two months."

Her eyes widened. "What're you saying?"

"What I'm saying is, Dorami is slowly but surely killing Korosuke. It's a fact. If we don't do something about that fact soon, it's over. Now, we can either do something about Dorami itself or implement new measures to cut costs and make more of a profit. I am heavily leaning toward doing something about Dorami because if they keep stealing our bikes, our profit will go down even further. What do you think?"

She stared at her for a long moment. "You're asking me to decide what we do about Dorami?"

"Yes."

A wide, almost sadistic grin spread across her face. "I have-"

A sudden loud and close revving of an engine cut the girl off and the two turned to see four red bikes fly by then immediately do a U-turn. "Well, speak of the devil," Misa laughed.

The Dorami girls all stopped just outside the barrier then slowly rode their bikes through the gaps and up into the pavillion just as Misa had. They all stopped a short distance away and stepped off, their engines' hum coming to a natural end. Maria made direct eye contact with the enemy zombie and scowled. "Misa!"

"Well, well, well, Maria…" she smirked. "It's nice to see you. Always good to know you're doing well." She glanced at the zombie to her side. "And Saki." Her smile fell. "You never called."

"I'm not interested!" she yelled back bluntly.

She let out a gentle gasp and brought a hand to her chest to mock her. "Oh, I'm hurt. I really am. Your stubbornness never ceases to disappoint."

"Cut the crap!" Maria shouted, pointing an antagonizing finger at her. "We know you've been taking our tribute!"

"Yeah!" Lily added.

Misa smugly raised an eyebrow. "Taking your tribute? Oh yes, well…" She took a seat on the bench behind her, crossing her legs as she did so. "You didn't actually think that this city was undisputed, did you? That would be quite ridiculous. No territory is undisputed. To believe otherwise is incredibly naive."

Saki rested an elbow on Maria's shoulder. "Go dispute somewhere else! Karatsu is ours!"

"As if!" she laughed. "Korosuke was here long before Dorami was even a threat to begin with!"

"No, you weren't!" she shot back. "I remember when your stupid gang was FOUNDED! We'd already taken over half of Saga by that point!"

She opened her mouth to shoot back, but stopped herself as she recognized defeat. "Well," she smiled, "it looks like you got me there." Then she went back to a neutral expression and stood back up. "But it's only fair that we cause problems for you after you've stolen nearly half of our bikes by this point."

"Hey, finders keepers, right?" Maria shrugged cockily.

"No, NOT finders keepers." She brought a hand to her forehead and let out an irritated sigh. "Do you have any idea how expensive those are to replace?"

"How much?"

"Tens of thousands of yen. How much have you been selling them for?"

The two leaders paused, slowly turned to look at each other, then looked back at her, both their faces clearly displaying complete and utter confusion. "Selling?" Saki asked. "They're right here."

Her eyes gradually turned down to the two bikes, which she quickly inspected. Her eyebrows slowly raised on her forehead as she realized they had the exact same headlights, suspensions, and wheels. "You… modified them?"

"Damn right we did! They look way better than the trash they used to be!"

She looked back up at her, impressed. "My, Saki. You really are something else." She paused for a moment. "Are you really sure you don't want to join Korosuke?"

"I'm stickin' with Dorami!" she stated plainly. "End of story!"

"Yeah!" Lily added.

"Yeah!" Maria yelled.

"Um, yeah!" Junko nervously complied.

"A shame." Misa shook her head. "What to do about you… I can't let this go on."

"Hey, Misa!" Atsuko whispered from right beside her.

She glanced at her over her shoulder. "What is it?"

"I have a plan! A plan to get rid of Dorami!"

Her eyebrows shot up on her forehead and her eyes quickly shot back to Dorami before she looked back at her. "What does it involve?"

Maria watched as the two Korosuke members raised a hand to hide their mouths and started whispering to each other. "What the… are they whispering?"

"Yeah, looks like it," Saki replied, bringing her arms up behind her head. "Whaddya think they're talkin' about?"

"Maybe they're trying to figure out the best way to give up!" Lily giggled mischievously.

"Ha! Yeah, right. Misa's too dumb to give up. There's no way."

"They're probably discussing a plan to, um, what was the word we use?" Junko asked. "Crush us?"

"Yeah, but do you really think it's gonna work?" Maria remarked confidently. "We're Dorami!"

The Korosuke girls all glared in their direction and Atsuko said, just loud enough so they could hear, "If that's how full of themselves they are then they'll definitely lose."

"Wh-" She turned to Saki. "I'm not full of myself, am I?"

"Hell no! You're badass!"

"I think they were talking about Dorami as a whole," Junko sighed. "Not just you, Maria-san."

"Oh. Well, do you think Dorami is full of itself?"

"Dorami RULES, Korosuke STINKS!" Lily cheered, parading around like she owned the place.

Junko stared at the child for a second then turned back to Maria. "Maybe a little."

Misa finally lowered her hand, revealing a devilish smirk across her green face. "You know, that just might work." She turned to the gang across from her. "Dorami. We have a proposition for you."

Maria looked back at her and crossed her arms. "A proposition?"

"Yes. See, we have absolutely no reason to stop fighting for Karatsu. And I'm sure you have no plans to stop stealing our bikes."

She raised an eyebrow, suspicious of what was being said to her. "Right…"

"Well, I'm sure you're eager to settle this little feud of ours, but what do you say we just go ahead and end our entire rivalry for good?"

"We're NOT joining Korosuke!" Saki groaned. "Stop asking!"

She shook her head. "That's not what I'm suggesting. What I'm saying is that we have one final competition. But this time, it's not over something small. This competition settles it for good. Whoever wins will have full control over Karatsu. Whoever loses will have their gang disbanded permanently."

There were a number of shocked gasps from each group, but Saki and Maria each grew a challenging grin. "Now THAT'S what I'm talkin' about!" Saki shouted, already hyped.

"When?!" Maria questioned eagerly.

Misa brought a hand to her chin. "Let's see… we're free Saturday. How's then?"

Saki shook her head. "Nah. We're busy then."

Maria turned to look at her, cocking her head as she did so. "Huh?"

"We got a rally, dude."

"Wait, we're actually set on that? This week?"

"Yeah, man!"

"Okay, then." She looked back at Misa. "Saturday doesn't work for us!"

"I see. Sunday, then?"

She glanced at Saki out of the corner of her eye, who nodded to give her the go-ahead. "Sunday works." She paused for a second then turned to her fully. "What time on Sunday?"

"Oh, uh…" She brought a hand to her chin for a second then her eyes lit up. "Ooh, we can go to Tori afterwards to celebrate if we do it early! Let's do, like, seven!"

"Seven? Are you serious?"

"Seven works for me," Misa confirmed.

She stared at her for a few seconds then sighed. "Fine. Seven. Kagamiyama?"

She nodded. "Kagamiyama."

"Okay. Sounds good to me."

"Then neither of us will be collecting anything from this city until after the competition. Once it is finished, Karatsu will be taken over by the winner."

She paused for a moment then turned around to her teammates. "Whaddya guys think? That sound good?"

"Hell yeah it sounds good!" Saki grinned. "Finally getting Korosuke out of our hair… that's what I've been trying to do for twenty-one years!"

"I'm excited!" Lily added, bouncing up and down with anticipation. "We should totally do it!"

Junko was silent, a hand on her chin, staring ahead.

"Marshmallow?" Maria asked. "What do you think?"

"I'm not sure… Shouldn't we be more thorough with our questioning?"

"Huh?"

"Korosuke has tricked us before, remember? What if she's hiding something? We don't even know what this competition is."

"Right," Misa stated, "I was getting to that." She glared at the white-and-blue-haired zombie. "I'm not as underhanded as you think." She put her hands on her hips before explaining. "What we have in mind is a series of one-on-one fights for each member in each gang. Each gang chooses one person per round and they fight. We record which one wins, add it to the ongoing tally, and repeat until everyone has fought or it's impossible for one team to win. Only blunt weapons are allowed and no one is allowed to fight more than once unless there is a tie."

Maria stared at her for a second then shot another quick glance over her shoulder. "One of you write this stuff down. We don't want her changing the rules on the fly."

"Okay!" Lily replied, taking out her phone.

"Hold up." Saki stepped forward and crossed her arms. "Only blunt weapons allowed? That disarms half our crew, but doesn't do anything to yours. We're not agreeing to that crap."

Misa glared at her for a moment then gave in. "Very well. No weapons allowed." She looked back at Maria. "Do we have a deal?"

"I'm not done!" Saki interrupted yet again. "I got more problems with your rules!"

Her gaze returned to her, now even more annoyed. "What now?"

"Does one gang hear who the other one is choosing?"

"You're asking if counter picking is a thing?"

"Yeah, basically."

"Not in the first round, but after that, the winner of the previous round picks first and the loser can counter pick."

She nodded. "Okay, that's fine, I guess. Next, what counts as a win?"

"One of the fighters forfeiting or being so badly beaten that they can't physically go on fighting."

"Who decides that?"

"If both sides agree that that person has lost."

"Okay. Next, what happens if a fight ends in a tie?"

"No points are awarded."

"Alright. Next, you say we fight 'till everyone's gone, but no one's allowed to repeat. What if one of us has less members?"

"You forfeit those rounds."

"Oh hell no!" Maria shouted, standing up on her toes and yelling in her face. "We know you assholes have, like, TWICE the-"

"No, wait, Maria." Saki pressed a hand to her chest and pushed her back. "This one might actually be good for us."

She blinked and turned to her, shocked. "What?! How the hell can that be good for us?!"

"The rally, remember? If we recruit enough people between now and then, we might just score ourselves some free wins."

Her eyes lit up with opportunity and she turned back to Misa. "Nevermind. That rule can stay."

"Great." She paused for a second then glanced at Saki. "Any more rules you'd like changed?"

"Just one. What happens if the whole thing ends in a tie?"

"Then each person is allowed one extra repeat and we will continue until there isn't one."

She nodded. "Alright. Lemme hear all the rules again."

She let out an irritated sigh then counted out the rules on her fingers. "It's a series of one-on-one matches, one for each member in each gang. Each gang chooses one person per round, the loser of the previous round with the counter pick, and they fight. A win is when one of them forfeits or they are physically unable to continue fighting, which both sides have to agree on. We record which one wins, add it to the ongoing tally, and repeat until everyone has fought or it's impossible for one team to win. Any matches which one gang cannot produce a fighter for are forfeited. No weapons are allowed and no one is allowed to fight more than once unless the challenge ends in a tie, in which case everyone will be granted one repeat and we will continue until one team has the advantage."

She looked over her shoulder. "Shrimpy, you got all that?"

"Yup!" She showed her her phone screen, which was on a voice recording app. "I got the whole thing!"

"Okay. Marshmallow, you happy with that?"

She still had her hand pressed to her chin and her eyes shut. "Well, I'm not too keen on fighting myself, but… this does sound like something we could realistically win."

"Okay!" She turned to Maria with her hands on her hips. "I think we're set."

She nodded and turned to the zombie before her, extending her hand. "I think we have a deal."

She took her hand and shook it. "Seems so. We'll see you on Sunday. I hope to see your entire gang there."

"Oh, you will!" She released the shake and turned around. "C'mon, guys, let's get outta here!"

The gang all sat down on their bikes and pulled out their keys. "So if we're not getting tribute today," Lily asked, "what're we gonna do?"

"We'll figure that out in a minute, Shrimpy!" Saki answered, turning on her bike. "For now, let's just go!" She twisted back on her throttle and turned out of the pavilion, threading the needle back through the barriers the same way she entered. She was soon followed by three more bikes and all sped off into the distance.

"Yes!" Atsuko grinned, pumping a fist in celebration. "They didn't realize Saki can't carry them!"

"Or she has enough faith in her gang to say that they'll win regardless," Misa replied. She turned around and gave her second-in-command a genuine smile. "Either way, it's sure to be an entertaining night."

Her smile slowly fell as she began to doubt. "Wait, are you saying that we might actually lose?"

"What I'm saying is that the better gang will win. Which is exactly as it should be." She pulled her key out of her pocket and sat back down on her bike. "Only one gang can conquer Kyushu. It needs to be the best one there is." And with that, she sped off, leaving a stunned Arashi Squad behind in the dust.

"Whoa…" Kumiko turned to Atsuko. "What're we gonna do?"

She watched Misa disappear from sight and hesitated for a few more seconds before lowering her ice pack and taking a determined deep breath. "Our best."


	143. The Small Stuff

"YOU DID WHAT?!" Ai screamed at the top of her lungs.

"Relax, Bandages!" Saki replied, secretly bearing a huge shit-eating grin. "We used to do this all the time back in the 90's!"

"Betting the gang's entire existence on one challenge?!" she cried through the phone's speaker. "You've got to be kidding me!"

Junko leaned across the table and turned the phone toward her. "Ai, calm down. It's not that big a deal."

"It kind of IS a big deal, actually! What happens if we lose?! Are we just unemployed?! What do you expect us to do after that?! I don't want to spend the rest of my life just doing nothing! Are we supposed to be idols or something?! That would be pretty hard, considering people ALREADY know that we're zombies! We don't have a whole lot of other options aside from bikers! This is such a huge gamble and I can't believe you would-"

"Okay, time-out for Ai-chan," declared Lily as she grabbed the phone, deactivated the speakerphone, and turned the volume down to the lowest level. Ai's rant could still be heard, but it was significantly quieter as a result. She set the phone back down and leaned over to speak into the microphone. "Sorry, Ai-chan! But you kinda need to calm down! We'll put you back on in a few minutes!" She pushed the phone to the center of the table and giggled mischievously. "She's super mad."

Saki and Maria couldn't help but snicker at the interaction. "Jeez…" Saki whispered.

"So savage…" Maria added.

Despite the intense, anxiety-inducing nature that the girl on the phone had made the group's situation out to be, they were all pretty calm at the moment. The four had originally split off to collect tribute, but now that Korosuke had challenged them, there was no way that was happening. So they decided to get some lunch instead and maybe sort out some of the fine details of the gang while they were at it. They were seated at a four-person table at the back of a local curry restaurant with Saki and Maria on one side and Lily and Junko on the other.

"Well, let's give her some time to relax," Junko sighed, picking up her calpis. "In the meantime…" She looked across the table at Saki and Maria. "We aren't going to be collecting any more tribute, right?"

"Not 'til after we beat Korosuke," Maria nodded.

"So what are we going to be doing until then? The rally, right?"

"Uh, yeah…" She turned to Saki beside her. "We're really doing this on Saturday? We haven't done anything to prep."

She shrugged. "Eh, don't sweat it. It's easier than it sounds. I figure the hardest part is gonna be finding a good spot to do it since we already got Shades to loan us his sound crap."

"What, is that normally the hardest part?"

"Yeah." She picked up her orange soda and swirled a bit before raising it to her mouth and starting to drink.

"Hey, Saki-chan…" Lily spoke up.

"Mmh?" she asked without putting down her drink.

She cocked her head. "What do we do at a rally? Like, I know we play music and recruit people, but that isn't it, right?"

She brought her soda back down to the table and shook her head. "Nah, there's more." She brought a hand to her chin and thought out loud for a moment. "Let's see, uh… there's always at least one or two fights, maybe some stunts on the bikes, too… We've also had a few races, but I dunno if that'd really work this year. Oh, yeah, and one time we had a rap battle. That was pretty cool. And, uh, usually we have an opening ceremony and whatever at the beginning where we get everyone excited and tell them what the plan is." She paused for a second, trying to think of more, before looking back across the table at the child. "So, yeah. That answer your question?"

She nodded. "Yup! Thank you!"

Junko leaned slightly forward with a questioning expression. "Um, Saki… what's a rap battle?"

"Huh? You don't know?" she asked with a condescending smirk.

"Please don't make me feel stupid."

She kept her face for a second before begrudgingly putting her smirk away. "It's just when two people rap at each other and compete to be the better rapper. There's usually a lot of insults thrown around."

"Oh. How interesting." She raised her glass to her mouth and took a long sip.

"Yeah." She brought her arms up behind her head with a proud grin. "Been in a few myself, actually. Never lost."

"Damn, really?" Maria asked. "Every time I try to rap in my head, I screw it up within a few seconds."

"Well, you gotta be pretty damn quick to come up with stuff like that on the fly. It's not for everyone."

"Yeah, guess not." She rested her head on her fist for a second then brought her head back up. "Well, anyways… what fights should we have? They should be between members, right?"

Saki shrugged. "Yeah, me and R-" She stopped herself as she began to utter the name of the woman who had killed her old man. "Me and… the first boss… would always have one. And then sometimes we'd have fights happen with guts tests." She slumped down in her seat, her mood now ruined as she was reminded of the events that had transpired that morning.

"Hey, hey, don't be like that." She reached under her arm and pulled her back up by her armpit. "Don't let what she did slow you down, okay?"

She glared at her out of the corner of her eye, a bright red iris illustrating her frustration from behind her glasses.

"Hey, how about this? At the rally, how about me and you fight? That sound good to you?"

She continued her streak of silence for a few seconds before replying. "You know I have three years' more experience than you, right?"

"Yeah, so? We've fought before and I kicked your ass then."

"That was practice."

"Yeah, well, I pick stuff up fast." She gave her a cocky smirk. "You'd be surprised how good I am now."

She continued to glare at her for a few seconds in silence before a sly grin spread across her face. "Alright. You're on. We'll duke it out for real at the rally."

"And I'll beat your ass into the ground."

"Not a chance."

"Here we go…" Lily remarked, taking note of the two's back-and-forth.

"Well, it's to be expected," Junko chuckled. "They're both competitive by nature." She glanced down at the phone in the middle of the table. "Do you think Ai has calmed down yet?"

"I dunno! Let's find out." She reached for the phone and hit the speakerphone button, allowing Ai's voice to be heard loud and clear.

"-got to be most irresponsible thing they've ever done! Like, you know if either one of us were there we would have said 'no, don't do that, this is ridiculous', but they didn't think to call us before jumping right at it!"

"I agree with you, Ai-chan," Sakura said, her quiet voice barely making its way through the receiver on the other end, "but I think you might be taking this a little too seriously."

"It's not that I'm taking this too seriously, it's that they're not taking this seriously enough! I mean, think about-"

"She needs more time," Lily observed, once again deactivating the speakerphone.

"Jeez, we really made her mad, huh?" Saki snickered.

There was a distant dingling of bells as the front door of the restaurant opened and in walked two teenage boys. Though the group at the table paid no mind to them, the boys did notice the gang in the back and started whispering to each other.

"Well," Maria started, pulling her own phone out of her pocket, "I guess I should post something on the website to let people know. What day is Saturday?"

"The seventh," Junko answered.

"Uh, you know we can't really do that until we know where we're having it, right?" Saki pointed out.

She let out an embarrassed smile as she put her phone back in her pocket. "Right, yeah… We should tackle that after lunch."

"Yeah, definitely." She looked back forward and stopped herself as she noticed movement in the corner of her vision and saw two teenage boys headed in their direction. "Hey, Maria. We got company."

"Huh?" She turned just in time for the two to stop right beside the table. "Who the hell are you? Whaddya want?"

The two stood there for a second, frozen in place, before one of them nervously asked their first question. "Uh… are you… Maria the Necromancer?"

Dumbfounded was the only word that could aptly be used to describe Maria's face upon hearing this. Here she was, a fifteen year old high school dropout, sitting in a restaurant, having just been called a necromancer. She didn't know a lick of magic nor any scientific methods of reanimation, but now she was being called that because of the three zombies sitting right next to her. It was a hefty title, to say the least. She stared at the two boys for a long few seconds, glanced at Junko out of the corner of her eye, and looked back up at them. "Maybe I am. What's it to you?"

"How did you do it?"

"Do what?"

"Make zombies."

She pounded on the table with her fist and rose to her feet. "It's none of your business how I did it, damn it! Now get outta here before I make YOU have to be resurrected!"

The two boys' eyes widened with fear and they scrambled back toward the door. They quickly threw it open and sprinted out, making their way across the parking lot and down the street.

She watched the two run for a quiet few seconds then sat back down and turned to her crew with her dumbfounded smile. "Guys."

"'Maria the Necromancer'?" Junko repeated. "Did they think that you're the one who resurrected us?"

"I know, right?" she laughed. "That's hilarious!"

"YOU bringing us back from the dead…" Saki snickered. "That's priceless! Think we should run with it?"

"That would be so funny!" Lily grinned, looking across the table at Maria. "Thank you for making me a zombie, Maria-chan!"

"Yeah, don't sweat it!" she laughed. "Maria the Necromancer, huh…?" she smiled, bringing a hand to her chin. "It's honestly not a bad title if I do say so myself."

"Hey, now you got a kickass backstory!" Saki pointed out. "Imagine how Misa'll react to that one."

"Probably poorly, considering she knows the truth," Junko pointed out. "This title isn't quite concrete."

"Yeah, but it's not like the whole city knows it," she shrugged, catching a glimpse of a waitress walking around the corner towards them. "Oh, sweet! Food's here!"

The zombies all turned their bodies to look at the waitress, who visibly flinched at being in their presence. "S-sorry to keep you all w-waiting," she said shakily, stopping before their table with plates of curry and bowls of rice in her arms. She gently set down each gang member's respective meal before them and stood back up. "P-please enjoy!" she practically yelled, turning and race walking away mid-sentence.

The four all immediately started digging in, save for Lily, who watched the waitress escape for a second before turning back to her food with a blank look on her face. "You'd think people would be used to us by now…"

"People are gonna be scared of us forever, kid," Saki shrugged. "You better get used to it." She brought a piece of curry-covered chicken up to her mouth and practically inhaled it, letting a pained yet satisfied gasp escape her throat as she did so. "Mmmsospicy…"

The group began to eat in silence, the only sound that of chewing and the hushed grumblings of Ai over the phone. With that, the group was able to focus on her and they all sat there for a moment just listening to the quiet and angry buzz before Maria said something. "She really isn't calming down, huh?"

"Yeah, guess not," Saki sighed. "Sucks, 'cause I kinda wanted to check up on the newbies."

Junko paused for a second then looked up with a gasp. "I might have an idea." She pulled out her own phone and scrolled through it. After a few taps, she laid it down on the table beside Lily's. "Here. Sakura-san sounded calm, so let's call her instead."

The two leaders opposite her each struggled to hold back their laughter. "Holy crap, that's harsh," Maria whispered.

A few seconds passed before the dial tone played once, then twice. Then the voice of the red-and-purple-haired zombie came through. "Um, hello?"

"Oh, you have GOT to be kidding me!" Ai's voice could barely be heard, but it was certainly there. Its presence made it even harder for Saki and Maria to contain their laughter.

"Hi, Sakura-san," Junko smiled. "We were wondering if you could give us an update on the new members' driving."

"Oh, um, sure! So, Hana-chan and Sachio-chan are doing really well, but Emi-chan is a little behind. Right now they're-"

"Tell them to put me back on speaker!" Ai shouted.

"Um, hold on a second, guys!" She clearly moved the phone away from her head to talk to her. "I don't think they want to talk to you right now."

"How is that my problem?! If they can't handle a little criticism for their actions, then what kind of bikers are they?!"

"Well, this isn't really 'a little criticism'… You know, maybe you should go sit down for a while to help yourself calm down. At least let me talk to them for a bit before you unload on them." It was evident by her tone that this wasn't a suggestion as much as it was a command from a peer who was sick of listening to her.

There was a short moment of silence then a frustrated huff. "This is ridiculous," Ai muttered under her breath, her voice fading out into silence.

She raised the phone back up to her ear. "Okay, hello? Are you still there?"

"Still here, Blackout," Maria nodded. "Tell us about the newbies."

"Right! So, right now they're all practicing drifting, so they're coming along okay, but Emi-chan is a little slower at it. They already have the basics of wide turns down and are good at accelerating and braking quickly, but they still have a lot to learn, so I think that they'll still need a day or two of training in order for them to be ready to collect tribute. But I guess that's not really a problem anymore, right?"

"Yeah, that's right. Neither gang is getting tribute 'til this is settled."

"Okay, good, because they still need a lot of practice and they're not ready."

"That's fine!" Saki assured. "Normally takes a few days for them to get to a decent level then even longer for them to get totally comfortable with it. Good to hear they're making progress. Anything else to add before we let you go?"

"Well, um, there is one thing…"

She nodded. "Lay it on me!"

"Sachio-chan asked how the pay worked, and I couldn't really answer. How does it work, exactly?"

"Oh, that's easy!" She brought up her hand to count out the steps on her fingers. "Basically, pay is split per squad. Each squad makes their own profit, right? About thirty percent of that goes up the chain and the rest is for the squad to use. How much the leader decides to pay each member can vary depending on who it is, but the way I like to do it is that all of my members get an equal amount and then the one who did the best over the pay period gets a little bonus where their pay is doubled. That way, we keep things competitive and I have a squad who's always at the top of their game."

"Ohhh, okay! That makes sense! So the pay is based on merit! That's really clever!"

She shrugged. "Eh, it's not that clever. Did it answer your question?"

"…Well, no. How do they get paid if they're NOT in a squad?"

"Uh, well, we didn't really have solo people in Dorami back in the day, but I guess it'd work the same way, just that you operate as your own squad."

"So they don't get paid until they start making money?"

"Right."

"Okay, then, well, thank you! I'll be sure to let them know!"

"Sure thing!" She picked back up her chopsticks. "I'm gonna get back to my curry now, so-"

"Wait! Actually, there's one more thing! While we're on the topic of pay…"

She groaned and slumped down in her seat, letting her utensils drop to the table. "What now?"

"Um, it's really not that big a deal…" she decided, hearing Saki's reluctance to listen to her. "If you have better things to be doing then you go ahead."

"No, no, I'm fine." She sat back up in her seat and leaned forward. "Go ahead and tell me."

"Well, if you're sure…" She took a deep breath then spoke quietly, almost nervously. "So, you know how I'm living with Koutarou-san and Yuugiri-san and Tae-chan right now, right?"

The three other girls all stopped where they were and looked down at the phone then turned their eyes to Saki, who raised an eyebrow. "Right… what about it?"

"So, um, Koutarou-san is, as of right now, unemployed. And while he's really trying to get a job, part of me is starting to worry, because we're kinda dipping into poverty levels. He can't even afford to feed us, only himself, and he really limits his spending as much as he can. Seeing him do that… well, it kind of makes me wish that I could help him out with the bills, because, even though I have a job with you guys, I haven't really… gotten paid yet."

"So you're askin' if we can afford to pay you now?" Maria questioned.

"W-well, um, I mean, maybe not right now, but, you know, soon, maybe? I know it's asking a lot since Maria-chan basically bought my phone from Koutarou-san and I've only been with the gang for five or six days now, but I'm just kind of worried. Even a little bit would be really nice."

"Alright, uh, you know what? We'll see what we can do," Saki answered.

The happiness emanating from the girl could be felt through the phone as she gave an excited gasp. "Thank you so much! It would really mean a lot to me!"

"Yeah, yeah! Just get back to work and earn it, okay?"

"Okay! Have a nice lunch! I'll see you all later!" And with that, she hung up, leaving the group on the other end alone.

"Oh, jeez…" Maria mumbled. She turned to Saki. "Whaddya think we should do?"

She looked down at her curry and picked up her chopsticks once again. "Being poor sucks, man." She paused briefly then glanced at her out of the corner of her eye. "I'm not gonna put her through that if I can help it."

* * *

Emi leaned forward on her speeding bike, staring ahead at the line of traffic cones laid out for her, then shifted her weight to the side fast and hard to turn it to the side. Her tires began making a sharp screech as they skidded across the ground and she slowly increased the pull on her brakes so that when they caught traction again they would already be stopped. Unfortunately for her, though, she wasn't paying attention to her weight and she started tipping over a bit too far. "NO!" she shouted, desperately squeezing her brakes. She stopped and slowly fell to the ground, her leg becoming pinned between her bike and the parking lot's asphalt. "Ugh…"

"Emi-chan!" The concerned voice of her teacher cut through the air and Sakura rushed over to pull the bike off of her. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine, I'm just having a hard time with these stupid turns," she grumbled, yanking her red pant leg from its prison. "How long did this take you to get down?"

"It was only an hour or two. You're really not as far behind as you think." She gave her a warm smile. "Personally, I think you're doing pretty good!"

She glanced at her two fellow newbies, who were working with Ai to improve their weaving skills by weaving between traffic cones spaced across the parking lot. She bared her teeth for a second, clearly frustrated with herself, then stood back up and planted her hands on the grounded bike's handlebars. "I'll get the hang of it. Don't worry about me."

She gave her a confident nod and stepped back, eager to watch her fellow crew member nail this turn. She watched her back up way across the parking lot to pick up the right amount of speed, watched her twist her throttle back to pick up speed to do the stop right, and-

"Hey, Blackout!" Maria's voice called from behind her.

She turned around to see her boss as well as the rest of her crew walking over to her from their parked bikes. "Oh, hi, guys!" she waved, just in time for the girl behind her to screw up her drift again and tumble over. She glanced over to see her standing over her bike, fingers pressed on the bridge of her nose. "Oh…"

"Hey, Blackout! Catch!" Saki yelled.

"Huh?" Her head swiveled around to look back forward just in time for her to see some blue rectangle flying toward her face. Normally, she would just be hit by this, but her reflexes had improved so much during her time in Dorami that she was able to bring her hand up and swat it down before it hit her. "HYAH!" She watched it slam into the ground then looked back at her boss angrily. "What was that for?!"

She blinked in surprise. "What, you don't want it?"

"What is it?!" She glanced back at the blue thing and realized immediately what exactly it was that she had swatted out of the air. "OH!" With an elated gasp, she bent down and picked back up the money immediately. "Thank you so much!" She ran the money between her fingers, quickly counting it. Ten, twenty, thirty, fourty, fifty… "FIFTY THOUSAND?!"

"It's all we can really afford to give you right now," she shrugged. "Hope you're okay with that."

"Okay?!" She rushed forward and wrapped her arms around her tightly. "This is great! Oh, thank you, Saki-chan!"

"Hey, hey, hey, relax!" she replied, reciprocating the hug. "Just doin' what I oughta."

She pulled out of the hug and ran the money between her fingers. "Oh, I'm gonna make them the best dinner tonight~!" she sang, delighted at the thought.

"Jeez, she's like a puppy," Maria chuckled, taking note of the girl's merry behavior. She turned to her fellow boss with a quizzical look. "So… now we go find a good spot for the rally, right?"

Saki nodded with her hands on her hips. "Yup! Then we have just a few more things to take care of and then we're ready for a rally!"

"Hey, Saki-chan…" Lily tugged on her arm gently. "Don't forget we have to go bed shopping with Pappy today."

"Huh?" She looked down at the child and had to think about what she'd said for a long few seconds before remembering. "Oh, right. Gotta get you a bed sometime today."

Maria blinked and looked over at her. "You're getting new beds?"

Before she could reply, Lily stepped forward with a wide smile. "Yup! Since Pappy officially adopted Saki-chan and Junko-chan and Ai-chan, he said that Saki-chan needs a bed so she doesn't have to use Pappy's old air mattress anymore! So we're both going today to find a bunk bed!"

"Oh, cool." She paused for a second then crossed her arms. "You know, we can probably handle all that stuff with the rally tomorrow. You guys should go ahead and just go meet up with your dad."

Saki gave her a blank stare. "He's not-" She hesitated for a second then shook her head. "Nah, we should probably get that stuff done today. At least finding the spot."

"Then how about this? You guys go ahead and head home, I'll go around and take pics of a few spots then send them over. You choose which one looks the best and I'll put it on the website."

She squinted. "Whaddya mean, 'send them over'?"

"Dude, your phone."

"Oh, right."

Lily's head tilted up and down so fast it created a blur. "Yeah! Yeah! Yeah! Let's go now, Saki-chan!"

She glanced down at the child for a second and, sensing her excitement, relented. "Alright, fine, if you say so, kid." She reached into her pocket and pulled back out her key. "See you guys later."

"Take care!" Junko smiled.

"Drive safe!" Sakura waved. Then she gasped. "Wait, your jackets!"

Saki blinked. "What about 'em?"

"We're supposed to have them repaired today!" She outstretched her arms. "Here, I'll take them for you!"

"Oh, okay." She took her jacket off and laid it across her arms. "Thanks."

"Thank you, Sakura-chan!" Lily added as she added hers as well.

"You're welcome! I'll make sure to get these back to you tomorrow!"

"Yeah, yeah!" She sat down on her bike with her blue-and-green-haired sister beside her. "You ready, Shrimpy?"

"I was born ready," she replied in a playfully deep and rough voice.

She chuckled. "Then let's ride." She twisted back on her throttle, rocketing forward and pulling out the parking lot at incredible speeds, followed directly by the child star herself. The two flew down the street and disappeared from sight within seconds.

Maria turned to the two zombies beside her and put her hands on her hips. "So-"

"MARIA!" Ai roared, marching over with an accusatory finger pointed her way. "ARE YOU INSANE?!"

She looked over at her, her eyes wide as saucers, and couldn't help but gulp. "Oh, boy. Forgot about her."


	144. The Instinct

"The sixth… of October… nineteen-ninety-nine!" Lily recounted the garage door code as it was originally formatted, a date, as she punched it in. Then she hit the 'open' button and skipped back over to her bike, taking a seat as the garage door slowly pulled itself up with a low buzz. She bobbed her head up and down in time with an imaginary tune as she watched her opening rise from just a few inches to being over her head then twisted her throttle back gently to nudge herself into the corner. There, she flipped the kill switch on her bike, pulled out her keys, and hopped off, almost bumping her head on the concrete ceiling above her as she floated through the air.

"Hey, hey, be careful!" her big sister ordered. She stepped off her own ride in a much more calm manner and gave the girl a disapproving glare as she landed back on the ground. "You wanna bash your head on the damn roof? 'Cause that's how ya do it!"

She looked up at her with a cheeky giggle. "Sorry, Saki-chan! I guess I'm just in such a good mood that I kinda forgot how high I can jump now!"

"Yeah, well, remember it next time! You don't want your head fallin' off because of something stupid like that!"

"Okay!" she grinned, skipping past her out of the garage. She stopped by the input panel and watched over her shoulder as the blonde stepped out then entered in the code again, this time hitting the button labeled 'Close'.

"Jeez, you're such a handful," Saki sighed, bringing her arms up behind her head. She watched the garage door hit the ground then started walking along the pathway up to the house's front door. _Well, guess it's time._ She glanced down at the girl beside her. "You called your pops yet?"

"Uh, nope! Not yet!" She held her keys up before her face and picked out the one that opened the front door. "I figured that it's a half hour drive here then another twenty or thirty minutes to put on makeup, and he doesn't really need that big a heads up since his office is only a couple minutes away. So I'll just call him in a minute." She bounced up the stairs to the front porch and stuck the key in the deadbolt hole. She unlocked the door and pushed it open, waltzing inside and plopping herself down to take off her boots.

She followed the girl through the front door and closed it behind her before taking a seat beside her and leaning forward to untie her boots' knots. _So… Takeo, huh?_ She hesitated for a moment before continuing the untying process. "Hmm…"

It was only a matter of seconds before Lily was back in her socks and was standing behind her. "Okay! I'm gonna call him now!" She pulled her smartphone out of her pocket and tapped through it, eventually landing on her father's contact. She started the call and held the phone up to her ear.

After a few seconds of quiet ringing, there was a quiet "Hello?" from the other end.

"Hi, Pappy!" she greeted with great enthusiasm. "Me and Saki-chan are ready to go buy a bed now! How soon will you be home?"

 _The way she talks to him… the way she feels about him…_ Saki looked over her shoulder at Lily, who was happily chatting away with her father on the other end without a care in the world. _She's so comfy around him… So why does he give me the chills? He didn't before. It wasn't until after-_ She paused for a second then turned back to her boots before her. _It's… the old man. The old man's in my head._

"Okay! See you soon!" She ended the call then turned to her sister on the floor. "Pappy says he'll be home in about half an hour, so let's go get our makeup on!"

She nodded, taking a deep breath as she did so. "Yeah, let's get to it." She reached down to continue untying her shoes with a determined look on her face. _That damn old man… holding me back…! I'm NOT gonna let that happen anymore!_ She grunted as each boot come off each foot and she stood up. She turned around and started heading up the stairs behind the blue-and-green-haired child. _Today's gonna be different._

* * *

"Ugh, do I HAVE to wear the stupid contacts?" Saki moaned, dreading putting something foreign in her eyes for the first time ever. "What's so bad about our eyes being red?"

"What's so bad about our eyes being orange?!" Lily retorted, holding an orange-colored contact on the tip of her finger. "Our eyes were orange when we were humans!"

"Yeah, well, orange isn't even that far off from red! We've gone human plenty of times without 'em, why start now?!" She gestured to herself. It was true; with all her makeup on, she looked plenty human already. The eyes, she figured, weren't super necessary.

She pouted. "Saki-chan!"

"What?!"

She stared at her for a second before twisting her face into a pleading, manipulative look. "Pleeeeaaase?"

After a few seconds of intense staredown, she let out an annoyed sigh. "…Fine. Gimme that." _The things I do for her…_ She picked up the small lens on the tip of her finger. "So, how do I do this?"

"You just hold your eye open and stick it in!"

"What, like…" She reached up with her other hand and forced her eyelids to remain open then slowly inched the lens toward her eye. After a few seconds of hesitation and trying to keep her eye open, she poked herself with the lens. To her surprise, it didn't even hurt. She retracted her finger and rapidly blinked, adjusting to the foreign apparatus. "This?"

"Yeah, like that!" She reached for the contact case on the counter and produced a second. "Now the other one!"

She took it and, this time with barely any pause, jammed it straight into her eye. She again blinked quite a lot to get used to it then looked in the mirror to see the Saki she knew when she was alive wearing a black hoodie and a light grey shirt along with a pair of blue jeans. She took a special look at her eyes, which seemed to match up almost perfectly to how she knew them to be before her death. "Huh. That's actually pretty cool."

"See? I told you!" the child grinned, looking at her own reflection in the mirror beside her. She wore a pale blue blouse on top coupled with a dark blue skirt and, of course, her signature star sitting at the top of her head. She took a moment to appreciate her natural cuteness then pushed her way past her sister out the door. "Okay! Now, is Pappy home yet?"

"Beats me," Saki shrugged, slipping her hands into her jacket pockets. "I didn't hear him come in, though."

"Hmm… he probably would have come up here and said hi if he were home…" She strutted up to the stairs facing the front door and took a seat at the top. "Oh, well! He'll be here soon, so let's just wait right here!"

"Alright." She took a seat beside her and stretched her legs out on the stairs. "So, you excited to get a new bed?"

"Yup! I've had the same one for a couple years now, so it's super cool to get a new one! And you're not gonna have to sleep on the floor anymore, so that's nice, too!"

"Yeah… Pretty nice of your pops to do this for me. I mean, I was fine sleeping on that air mattress forever. He really didn't have to do all this stuff."

She rolled her eyes with a smirk. "You can't sleep on an air mattress forever! Eventually you get sick of inflating that thing every night and waking up on the floor!"

"Heh, maybe." She leaned against the banister and looked up at the window above the genkan. "Either way, your pops is a pretty good dude."

She let out a giggle and turned to her. "Of course he is! He's my pappy! And now he's your pappy, too!"

She continued to gaze out the window, but her expression faltered slightly. "…Right."

The child's bubbly smile slowly fell as she processed her reaction and she gave her a questioning look. "Hey, you're not gonna be weird to him like you were yesterday and this morning, are you?"

She blinked and looked over at her. "Huh? Oh, no, you don't have to worry about that crap anymore. I already figured out why he was putting me off and it's not gonna happen again." She gave her a reassuring thumbs up. "From here on out, no more of that awkward stuff."

Her eyebrows shot up. "Really?"

"Really."

Suddenly, there was the sound of a deadbolt sliding out of place followed by the front door opening. The large, hulking body of Takeo Go ducked through the relatively small entryway. "I'm home!" he called.

As soon as Saki comprehended who it was stepping through the door, a shiver made its way down her spine. Her head swiveled back to the genkan and she stared at the man there for a moment before taking a deep breath. _Okay, relax, it's just Takeo. Not gonna make this a big deal. No more of that awkward stuff._

"Pappy!" Lily gasped, pushing herself up with her hands and jumping down the stairs to the bottom. She landed with a loud THUD and wrapped her arms around her father as best she could. "Welcome home!"

"Ahhh!" he yelled playfully, looking down at the child now attached to his side. "What's this?! I'm being attacked by a zombie!"

She let out a snicker then shook her head. "Nope! Not attacked! Just hugged!"

He brought an arm down and patted her on the back with a chuckle. "Well, that's okay, then. Zombie hugs aren't so bad." He looked up and eyed the entryway. "Now where-" His eyes came across Saki and he stopped and gave her a warm smile. "Ah! Saki! How are you?"

Her body involuntarily tensed up as the friendly giant's eyes passed over her. "I'm… good," she answered, her voice uncertain. Immediately after those words left her mouth, she cringed at her own reply and looked away. _Oh, come on! What the hell was that?!_ She pushed herself to her feet and made her way down the stairs, keeping Takeo in her peripheral vision but not looking directly at him. _Just relax, don't wanna make things weird._

Lily pulled out of her hug, eyed her sister over her shoulder for a second, then looked up at her father. "Hey, Pappy! Look at our eyes!"

"Hm?" He glanced down at the girl and immediately took notice of their orange tint. "Oh! Would you look at that! They're orange!"

She nodded, ecstatic. "Yup! Apparently, Tatsumi got us all color contacts so our eyes would all look the same as they did when we were alive! And me and Saki-chan's are the same color!"

"Are they?" He turned to the blonde, who was peering at him out of the corner of her eye; her left eye, for that matter, the one that was covered by her bangs. This made it impossible for him to see what color the iris actually was. He paused for a second then smiled back down at the child. "That's wonderful. Why don't you get your shoes on so we can get going?"

"Okay!" She immediately threw herself down and reached for the shoe cubby where she found her blue and white tennis shoes. She again glanced at Saki out of the corner of her eye, watching her every move.

 _Okay, now I gotta get my shoes…_ She picked up her foot and took a step forward. And then she stopped. She eyed the genkan cautiously, taking note of how much space Takeo took up and how close- _Wait, what the hell am I thinking?! He's not gonna… ugh!_ She let out a frustrated grunt then marched the rest of the way over and took a seat. She grabbed her orange tennis shoes and started putting them on, but halfway through noticed that she was extremely on-edge sitting before him. _Damn it! He might think he's my dad, but that doesn't mean he'll be like the old man! I need to chill out!_ She quickly finished tying her shoes' knots and stood up, joining her younger sister beside her.

"Okay, if we're all ready…" Takeo looked over his shoulder and carefully backed out the front door onto the porch. He took large, earth-shaking steps down the front stairs and started walking along the path to the driveway where his grey SUV sat.

Saki waited for Lily to close and lock the door behind them then put her hands back into her pockets as she followed toward the car wordlessly. _Guess we're riding with him, huh? Been a while since the last time I rode in a car…_ She smirked as she thought about her experience jumping out of a moving van and off a bridge. _Man, that was fun. Should do it again sometime._

Lily walked ahead and pulled on the handle of the back seat door and stepped to the side, obviously holding it open for her.

"Thanks." She stepped up into the back and scooted across the seats to the right side, where she found herself sitting right behind Takeo, who had miraculously managed to squeeze himself into the driver's seat. A wave of uneasiness came over her and she took a moment to realize that before letting out a sigh of defeat. _Damn it, old man…_

Lily clicked her seatbelt in place then leaned over and tapped her sister on the shoulder. "Don't forget your seatbelt!"

"Huh? Oh, right." She reached for the buckle over her shoulder and clicked it into place. Then she rested her head on her fist and leaned toward the window, letting the coarse fabric cross her neck. _Do we even need seatbelts? We're zombies._

"Alright, let's get going," Takeo announced, turning on the car and slowly backing out of the driveway. He pulled the car backwards into the street then turned the wheel as he shifted gears and began moving the vehicle forwards. "And we're on our way!"

Saki wasn't listening at this point. All her attention was based on the window, through which she was watching all the scenery pass by as she was deep in thought. _I said I wasn't gonna be awkward, but… that was the most awkward thing EVER!_ she moaned internally. _Damn it, what's with me?! I know WHY it's happening, so why can't I stop myself from doing it? It shouldn't be that hard! …Unless…_ Her eyes widened. _What if it's not him? What if he's not in my head? What if…_ She paused for a second then shook her head. _No. Doesn't make sense otherwise. Why the hell else would I still follow his stupid-ass rules if it wasn't him in my head? It's obviously him._ She gritted her teeth. _But it shouldn't be that hard to just NOT do that! I KNOW Takeo's not like the old man! So why can't I see him the way I did BEFORE?! This is STUPID!_ She let out an irritated sigh coupled with a scowl. _This would be so much easier if I could just find the old man and prove him wrong…!_

Lily sat a few feet away, staring at her silently. After a minute or so of staring, she leaned over and gently nudged her elbow. "Hey, Saki-chan…" she whispered.

She looked down at her without even lifting her head from her fist. "What's up, kid?"

"I was wondering if you were okay… after you said you wouldn't be weird to Pappy, that's exactly what happened…"

She watched her for a second then hung her head. "Yeah, I thought I could, but I just can't stop myself from getting worked up around him. Sorry."

"Hmm…" she hummed, clearly disappointed. "Is it because of your old man?"

"Yeah," she sighed. "I thought that if I knew WHY it was happening that I could keep it from happening. But I guess knowing isn't enough when it comes to this stuff."

"Hmph!" she pouted, pushing herself back upright. "So much for 'knowledge is power'!" She sat there for a few seconds before turning to her again. "So, if knowing about it doesn't help, what will help?"

"How the hell should I know? I only just figured out he was in my head today." She crossed her arms. "If you got anything that can make me stop freaking out every time I see someone who thinks he's my dad, lemme know."

"Oh, come on! There's gotta be something we can do!"

"Leave her be, Lily." The low voice of Takeo cut through the two's conversation and they each turned to see him staring at them through the rearview mirror mounted on the windshield. "She's fighting against her instincts. That's something you can't help her with."

The two girls stared at his face's reflection for a few seconds then gave each other a quick glance. Saki looked back forward and slowly, cautiously prodded for more. "Whaddya mean… instincts?"

His gaze turned back to the road in front of him. "I imagine that, when you were alive, your mind developed its own defensive mechanisms to keep you safe from your father, whether you realize it or not. Those are your instincts, and now that I'm trying to be a father to you, they're going off again."

She blinked. "Huh, I guess that kinda makes sense…"

"They're leftovers from back then," he continued, "but now you don't need them anymore and you have to fight against them. It's a hassle, but it's good that you have them at all. They kept you safe from him for fourteen years."

She just sat there, eyes locked on the mirror, for a long moment before asking her next question. "How do you know all this stuff?"

"I spent most of my day today Googling things," he chuckled. "Parenting doesn't come naturally, and caring for you and your sisters is entirely different from what I'm used to. Teenagers are something else entirely, so I obviously had to look a few things up, including that. Which…" He looked up at her through the mirror again with questioning eyes. "I'm surprised is already relevant."

Her eyebrows quivered and she looked away, tightening her grip on her already crossed arms. "I-I mean, I just…" She fumbled for a lie for a moment before giving up and nervously telling the truth. "I figured out that the old man's in my head earlier today. It's…" She paused for a long moment then slowly shook her head. "Weird. It's just weird."

"That's expected," Takeo nodded, returning his eyes to the road. "It's a big thing to realize. I'm just surprised it came to you so soon." He let the pursuing silence permeate for a second or two then looked back in the mirror. "Are you doing okay?"

She looked back out the window and put her head back on her fist. "I'm fine." She picked up where she left off staring outside at all the scenery passing by. _Fighting against instincts, huh…?_ She grew a small smirk. _That actually sounds kinda cool._

"Saki."

"Eh?" She looked back up at the mirror to meet the gaze of the giant in front of her. Naturally, a slight sense of dread appeared in her gut, but she ignored it.

"I want to thank you for keeping an open mind." His eyes returned to the road. "I know it must be hard to accept a new father after what your old one was like, so I appreciate that you're really putting an effort toward making this work."

"Huh? What's this about?"

"Well, you're working so hard to fight your instincts and… It makes me happy to know that you're committed. It can't be easy. So thank you."

"Oh, uh… no problem." She looked back out the window. _What a softie…_

The rest of the car ride to the store was quiet, with only occasional noises made by the three breathing and shuffling around in their seats. After a while along the highway and a detour through the suburbs and across a bridge, the group arrived outside a large warehouse with minimal indications of it being a store. "We're here!" Takeo announced as he pulled into a parking spot.

Saki snapped back to attention and looked out the window at the metallic building. "Huh? This is a bed shop?"

"It's a furniture outlet!" Lily answered, unbuckling her seat belt. "This is where we got Pappy's bed because he's too big for regular beds!"

"I called around," Takeo explained, squeezing his body through the driver's side door, "and it turns out that bunk beds aren't very common. This place is the only one nearby that had any. And if they don't have the kind you like, we can place an order for one from the catalogue and they'll deliver it straight to us."

"Or even have it custom made!" Lily added, crawling across the seats to climb out with Saki.

"Well, that's… a little more expensive," he winced, pulling open the door for the two zombies. "I'd prefer if we didn't have it come to that."

The child eagerly climbed over her sister's lap and dropped to the asphalt below. "What kinda bed do you want, Saki-chan?"

"I dunno," she shrugged, sliding out of the SUV. "Something comfy."

"Then let's get something comfy!" she repeated, leaping up onto her father's shoulder. She sat down, wrapped an arm around his head, and held her fist toward the warehouse. "Let's go!"

"What's this?" Takeo laughed, shutting the car door behind the two. "You keep jumping up onto my shoulder like it's nothing!"

"Well, it kinda is!" she giggled. "I can get up myself now, so I get to do it all I want!"

"Oh, look at you! It's true what they say: when you're cute, you can get away with anything!" he added, now laughing wholeheartedly while making his way toward the front doors of the warehouse. "Isn't that right, Saki?"

She followed along, her hands in her pockets, staring up at the father and daughter. She kept her distance from the pair, her instincts obviously going off, but that wasn't what was on her mind. Watching the two bond, play, connect, it was like something out of a movie. _Is that what it's like? A movie?_ She blinked and paused for a second before letting a genuine smile spread across her face. _Maybe this whole 'dad' thing won't be so bad._ She nodded, her legs now subconsciously closing the gap between her and Takeo a little bit. "Yeah. That's right. Kids like her have it good."


	145. The Breadwinner

"The sixth of October… nineteen-ninety-nine." Ai mumbled the date aloud to herself as she punched in the garage door code. Then she hit the 'open' button and calmly walked back over to her bike, lowering herself back onto her seat as the garage door lifted itself up with a low buzz. She stoically watched her opening rise over her head then gently twisted her throttle to pull herself in behind two other bikes. She flipped the kill switch on her ride, pulled out her keys, and stepped off, taking notice of the lack of SUV in the garage in its usual spot. "They're not home yet."

"It seems so," Junko concurred, climbing off her bike beside her. "I wonder what's keeping them."

The sun hung low in the April sky, casting long shadows and illuminating the two zombies as they reentered the garage door code and began walking toward the front door. Junko's jacket flowed behind her, but Ai lacked hers as she was having its holes patched. "For now we have the house to ourselves," Ai noted.

Junko nodded. "Yes."

A small smile appeared on her face as she walked up the stairs to the front door. "I've been looking forward to this."

"To what? Being home alone?"

"Yeah."

"Why's that?"

"Well, if you're as loud as you say you are, we don't want anyone else here to hear us."

Her eyes widened and her face turned a bright, almost neon red. She stopped in her tracks and stood there, her body tense and flustered by her proposition. "O-oh…"

Ai pushed her house key into the deadbolt and turned, pushing the door open. "Don't tell me you don't want to. You're the one who-"

"I-I never said that!" she exclaimed, taking shaky steps through the front door. "I just…" She looked to the side, clearly perturbed by the topic. "I thought we'd wait longer."

"Two and a half weeks is long enough if you ask me," she sighed, closing the door shut behind them. "But if you're really that uncomfortable…"

"N-no, it's fine…!" she assured, taking a seat to remove her boots. "We can if you want."

"You're sure?"

"…Mostly."

"'Mostly'?"

"I don't know, this is… so strange…" Junko mumbled, regaining her blush. "I don't quite know how to feel."

"If you need time to sort out your feelings, that's okay," she assured, taking a seat beside her. "I know this kind of thing was viewed differently back when you were alive."

"Yes…" She began untying her boots' knots. "There was a certain stigma around… that… when I come from." She paused for a second then looked over at her. "But I suppose there's a stigma around being a zombie, too, so…"

"Right."

She removed her boots, placed them to the side, and continued to sit there, a hand on her chin. She seemed to be in deep thought.

After a quiet moment, Ai had her boots off and slowly stretched as she stood up. "I won't force you to if you don't want to. I just brought it up because I thought-"

"No, let's do it." She shot up and turned to her, a nervous yet excited look on her face. "Forget stigma. We're zombies. And like you said, no one else is home. I think it could be fun."

She blinked in surprise and looked back over at her. "Seriously?"

"Yes!" she yelled out of pure exhilaration, startling herself. "Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't mean for that to be so loud…"

She formed a dumbfounded smile and shook her head. "No, it's fine." She turned to the stairs and started walking up, her breathing now rapid with anticipation. She stopped at the top and watched as her lover made her way up as well.

Junko was just as if not more excited than Ai was and she happily reached for the door to their room and held it open. "After you."

She gave her a warm smile and had just begun moving when she froze where she was and stood in silence.

She stared at her for a few seconds then leaned forward a bit. "Ai? Is everyth-"

"Shh, be quiet." She held out a hand to silence her. "Do you hear that?"

She looked from side to side to pinpoint this sound but found nothing. "Hear what?"

"I think it's the garage door."

Her face fell. "You're kidding."

"No. I think that's them." She slowly turned around to face the front door. "Watch."

Her gaze followed hers and she watched as two blurs appeared through the front's glass, one blue and one grey and blue. "Unbelievable."

After a moment, the front door swung open yet again and in waltzed Saki and Lily. "How many times do I gotta tell you? Godzilla would kick that stupid monkey's ass!" Saki scolded.

"You haven't even seen the movie!" Lily quipped back. "King Kong wins! That's how it ends!"

"There's no way! Godzilla breathes fire and crap! How the hell could he lose?!"

"It actually wasn't super clear…" she muttered under her breath. She looked up to the top of the stairs and gasped as she caught a glimpse of her two other sisters. "Ai-chan! Junko-chan!"

"Hi," they each replied coldly.

Saki raised an eyebrow. "What's with you guys? Were you in the middle of somethin'?"

The two looked at each other briefly and both started blushing, which was more than enough indication for Saki that something was going on.

"HA! YOU GUYS WERE TOTALLY ABOUT TO DO IT!"

"W-we were not!" Ai insisted, planting her hands on the railing. "W-we just… were going to take a nap! Isn't that right, Junko?!"

Junko's face turned uneasy and she ran into their room, shutting the door behind her. Her jacket was briefly caught in the frame but she forced it through.

She looked over her shoulder in shock then turned back to the two girls below. "I swear, it's not what you think!"

"Yeah, sure, whatever!" she laughed, sporting a knowing smirk. She sat herself down on the edge of the genkan to start taking off her shoes. "Keep tellin' yourself that!"

Lily sat down beside her and started undoing her knots as well. "Why do they always say no? It's not that embarrassing…"

"Eh, this time they might actually have a reason to," she snickered back.

There was the distant sound of the garage door closing soon followed by the sight of Takeo walking back toward the house. He ducked through the front door and closed it behind him. "You know, we might have that movie on VHS."

"Huh? You mean Godzilla vs. King Kong?" Saki instinctively pushed herself backwards further out of the genkan at the man's entrance. "Can we watch it?"

"Of course," he smiled. "Why don't we all watch it together?"

Lily started beaming and turned around to face her sister atop the stairs. "Ai-chan! Tell Junko-chan we're gonna watch Godzilla vs. King Kong!"

"Hold on, give me a minute!" she yelled back. She held her face close to the bedroom door. "Seriously, it's not that bad, Junko. They've already moved on. Just come out."

The child threw her shoes off, pushed herself to her feet, and ran down the hall. "I'll go find the tape!" she announced.

"Hey, wait up!" Saki ordered, haphazardly tossing her shoes on top of the shoe cubby. She jumped to her feet and raced down the hall after the girl and soon barged into the living room to find her already going through the closet next to the TV. "Jeez, you're so fast…" she muttered under her breath. She walked over to the couch and hopped over it, landing on the cushion on the other side. "This movie any good?"

"It's okay, I guess," she shrugged. "It's kinda old, though. I think it was out when you were alive."

"Huh." She watched her rummage through the closet for a minute before reaching into her pocket and pulling out her phone. She turned it on and smiled at the lock screen, which was the picture she and Maria had taken on the roof of the gas station earlier that week. She unlocked it and navigated to the messaging app, where she found a list of contacts. She pressed down on Maria's name and began typing. 'hows the hunt for the spot', she wrote.

After about a minute or so of waiting, Maria wrote back. 'fine' was her first response. Shortly after, another one appeared: 'got 3 picks, lookin for a 4th'

Her eyebrows shot up, impressed. 'lemme see em'

'k gimme a min', she answered. Shortly after, three panoramic images flooded the chat log, each of a grassy field. 'all of these are karatsu'

She tapped on the first one and inspected it. It was a standard, run-of-the-mill field enclosed on all sides by a chain-link fence. She zoomed in and started swiping around, seeing the field's size, openings, and choke points. She brought a hand up to her chin. "Hmm… Okay."

The door swung open at the entrance and in walked Takeo. "Found it yet, Masao?" He noticed his blonde-haired daughter flinch at his voice then take a deep breath and relax again. This made him smile.

His other daughter, however, just gave him an angry pout. "My name isn't Masao! It's Lily!"

He turned to her for a second then hung his head. "Sorry…"

"Hmph!" She turned back to her searching and opened another box. "We really have to organize these…"

He stood there for a moment, properly repenting for his deadnaming tendencies, then made his way over to the couch. He took a seat on the opposite side Saki was on and reached for the remote. He pressed the power button and sat back as the TV began to warm up.

While keeping Takeo in the corner of her eye, Saki closed the picture for the first spot and opened the second. As soon as it loaded on her screen, her eyes lit up: the field was one of the best she had ever seen. It was blocked off by trees on one side and the ocean on the other, but on the other two sides it was just plain street. "Damn…"

Suddenly, Lily gasped and raised a VHS tape over her head. "Found it!" It was old, still in its original packaging covered in plenty of wrinkles and tears. She stood up and walked over to the TV, popping it into the VHS player that sat beneath it. She pressed the power button then the play button, making the TV above her head turn black with blacker bars on either side. Finally, she skipped over to the couch, where she took a seat between Saki and Takeo.

The door swung open behind them and in walked Ai, still wearing her Dorami uniform save for the jacket. "Mind if I join?"

Lily looked over her shoulder at her. "Well, duh! We invited you! Where's Junko-chan?"

"She's probably not coming out for a while," she sighed. "She's… uh… really tired."

Saki gave her a blank stare, but Takeo merely smiled at her. "Well, alright. Take a seat. The movie's starting soon."

Saki scooted closer to the arm of the chair to give her a spot between her and Lily and looked back down at her phone. A smile crossed her face as she and she closed the picture, glanced at the third spot for a split-second, then typed, 'pack it in dude that second one is perfect'.

* * *

Sakura leaned forward on her handlebars in an attempt to read the screen of Maria's phone. "What did she say?"

"She says the second one is perfect."

She beamed as she sat up. "I thought so, too! It's so pretty, and if we set up on the side with the trees, then we'll have a nice enclosure! Not to mention that there's good street access, so getting in and out will be a breeze! Plus, with the bathroom right around the corner, there's-"

"Okay, I get it!" she groaned, giving her the stink eye. "I was there, too, remember?!"

She reeled back in response and sheepishly brought a hand up to rub the back of her head. "W-well, yeah, I guess so… sorry."

She sighed. "It's fine." She looked back down at her phone, typed out one last message, then slipped it into her pocket. "Now that we got the spot, we're done for today, so gimme your jacket."

"Okay." She took it off with a soft grunt and handed it over. Then she got up, moved around to the back of her bike, and reached into the storage compartment where she had stored Ai, Saki, and Lily's as well. "Here, these ones, too."

She nodded as she took the three additional jackets from her arms and tossed all of them into her bike's storage compartment. "Seeya tomorrow, then."

"Yeah, see you then…!" She sat back on her seat and watched as her friend started her ride and took off, headed to drop the jackets off with her friend. She stared at the figure disappearing over the horizon and looked up at the partly cloudy late afternoon sky. _Today… kinda stank. First fighting Korosuke girls in the park, then Emi-chan ran over my foot, then looking at rally locations_ _…_ She sighed. _This wasn't fun at all._ She paused for a second then patted the stack of yen in her pocket. _But at least I can cook Yuugiri-san and Koutarou-san a nice dinner!_ With an excited grin, she leaned forward and gripped her handlebars. "I'm going now!" she called out to no one in particular, bringing her engine to life and peeling out. She did an immediate u-turn to head back north and sped through the city streets as fast as she could, weaving through traffic and blowing plenty of red lights. She knew her way around Karatsu fairly well; she was born, raised, and killed there, after all. So it was no issue for her to make her way back to the mansion regardless of where she was. And after a few minutes, she did just that, taking a right turn onto the street where she lived and gradually slowing down as she approached the front gate. She stopped just outside and looked up to see that the gates were barely open, so she rolled forward a bit and leaned over her handlebars to push them aside. Once she had them open enough to where she could pull her bike through, she sat back and-

There was a loud and sudden blaring of a motorcycle horn from right behind her.

"Eep!" She jolted upright and looked over her shoulder with a terrified expression on her face to see a quartet of zombies sitting in the park across the street: Yuugiri in one of the seats the merry-go-round, Tae and Romero on the ground, and Misa on the seat of her bike. Sakura's eyebrows shot up and she switched gears to put herself into reverse so she could turn around and head into the park. She made her way in, rolling across plenty of woodchips and coming to a stop before her zombie brethren. She turned her bike off and let out a sigh that doubled as a laugh. "You really scared me, Misa-san…"

"Sorry, but you clearly couldn't hear me calling," she chuckled. "How are you?"

"I'm good!" she answered, leaning over and scratching Romero under the chin. "What's everyone doing out here?"

"Having some dinner," she responded, raising a slice of pizza up to her mouth. "Do you want any?"

"Huh?" She glanced at the merry-go-round to find that on the seat beside Yuugiri was one open pizza box stacked on top of another. At first, she had a smile on, but it quickly vanished as she realized that she wasn't going to be able to cook dinner for everyone. "Oh…"

Yuugiri raised an eyebrow. "What seems to be the matter, Sakura-han? You look disappointed."

"Well…" She reached into her pocket and pulled out the stack of notes. "I got paid today, so I was really looking forward to making you and Koutarou-san a nice dinner tonight… But since you're already eating…"

A delighted look spanned across her face. "That's very thoughtful of you. Why don't you cook tomorrow night?"

"Um, well, I guess so…" She looked down at the money and felt her sorrow inside bubbling up. "But I kinda wanted it to be a surprise."

"Sorry to ruin it for you," Misa replied.

"No, it's okay…" She turned her head to the side with a depressed sigh. "I should have been here faster. It's not your fault."

She squinted in visible confusion. "I showed up to the door with pizza and asked if she wanted some. You being here wouldn't have changed that."

She glanced back at her, a dull look in her eyes that wasn't there before. "It doesn't matter. I shouldn't have gotten my hopes up in the first place."

There was a short pause before Misa stood up and walked over to her bike, taking a knee before her. "What's wrong?"

"What?"

"You seem… down. What's the matter? You're not normally like this."

She stared at her for a few seconds before shaking her head. "I'm just a little upset, I guess."

"No, there's something more to this. What's going on?"

She was quiet for a long moment, just watching the zombie before her with piercing eyes. Finally, she relented and gave a quiet reply. "I… I have depression."

She raised an eyebrow. "Clinical depression?"

"…Yeah…"

"Gruuuhg…" Tae grumbled, shambling over to her side and wrapping her arms around her waist. "Huuaragh…"

Misa eyed the black-haired girl then returned her gaze to Sakura. "That's a shame. If there's anything you've taught me during our time together, it's to look at life positively. You seem like such a joyful person."

"I try to be most of the time," she lamented, "but sometimes it's hard. Today was kinda awful, and I was really looking forward to-"

"It's okay, I understand," she assured, placing a hand on her knee. "You're not the first person with depression I've met. I know what it's like."

She looked down at her knee for a long minute then let out a low sigh. "I just wish I wasn't like this."

"Of course. If there's anything I can do to help, just let me know."

With a slight nod, she accepted. "Okay." She stared ahead for a minute then looked up. "I guess I'll just cook tomorrow, then. It's not a problem."

"I'm looking forward to it," Yuugiri enthused.

Misa grunted as she rose back up and made her way back to her bike. "Do you want some pizza?"

"Um, sure," Sakura decided. She leaned forward as the biker before her lifted the box off its seat and extended it toward her. She picked up a slice of cheese pizza with her free hand and immediately took a bite. She always loved eating when she was sad, and though she wasn't showing it, she wasn't at all over the whole dinner thing. She probably wouldn't be for a while. _That's just how things are with me…_

"So, how much did they give you?"

"Huh?" She perked up at Misa's voice and took a second to process her question before answering. "Fifty thousand yen."

"Hm, it's decent. Aside from cooking, what are you planning to do with it?"

"Um, well…" She dropped the cash back into her pocket to hold her pizza with two hands. "I was actually planning on helping pay the bills and stuff here… since Koutarou-san is still unemployed."

She seemed impressed. "How responsible. I didn't know he was unemployed."

"Yeah, so I guess that kinda makes me the only one making any money in this house…" She grew a weary look. "Actually, that's a little nerve-wracking… what if we lose the competition on Sunday…?"

"Then I'll offer you a place in Korosuke," she immediately answered.

She blinked. "Oh… thanks."

"Please," she shrugged, "it's the least I could do. Everyone in Dorami is welcome to join. Like I've said before, annexing it would be a fantastic opportunity for us. It's too good a chance to pass up."

"Oh, right." She looked back down at her pizza. "I don't think that goes the other way, though… I don't think Saki-chan and Junko-chan like you."

"A fact I am painfully aware of."

She slowly raised her dinner to her mouth and took another bite then looked up to keep the conversation going. "So what'll you do if Korosuke ends up losing?"

She brought a hand up to her chin and shook her head. "I don't know. I'll have to find something. Rent isn't going to pay itself."

"Koutarou-san would probably let you live here rent-free," she pointed out. "Considering you're a zombie and everything."

"Ha! As if I'd want…" She looked up at the mansion and let her voice drift off into nothingness. She stared for a second then looked back at Sakura. "You really think so?"

"E-eh? Well, yeah, probably…"

She rose to her feet and stepped off her bike. "I'm going to be right back." She began walking toward the mansion's front gates.

"Wait, Misa-san, what are you…" She watched her pass by then turned back to Yuugiri, who seemed just as surprised as she was. "What's she doing?"

"It seems as though she's going to go ask him herself."

"Right now? We haven't even had our challenge yet, though!" She looked over her shoulder at the zombie, who was now opening the mansion's front doors. _Actually, I kinda wanna see this…_ She glanced back at her pizza and, without a shred of hesitation, tossed it to the side. "Here, Tae-chan! Finish this for me!"

"HRAUHGAHRAAAAH!" she roared gleefully, pouncing on her prey.

With that, she bounced up and stepped off her bike, marching after her, eager to see how this would play out. _Is she really-_ There was the sound of a motorcycle tipping over behind her and she stopped in her tracks. She turned around to see that, in her haste, she had forgotten to put the kickstand down. "Oh, come on!" she moped, rushing back over and propping it upright. She set down the kickstand and then picked up where she left off. _Anyways, where was I? Oh, right! Is she really about to just ask to live here? She doesn't even know that she'll need to, though!_ She pushed through the gates and leapt up the stairs and tore open the front doors. She stumbled into the genkan, looked left and right, then caught a glimpse of her friend's silver locks headed into Koutarou's office. She stepped up onto the rug and crept behind her, planting herself down outside the office and leaning over to peek through the cracks in the door.

"What was it you wanted to talk about?" Koutarou asked. He was seated on one of his office's two couches, a bottle of whiskey in hand, as per usual. His hair was matted and messy and his sunglasses had noticeable smudges on them. He clearly wasn't doing so hot.

"It's not exactly an urgent topic," Misa assured, taking a seat across from him. "But Sakura mentioned it and I thought it might be… convenient. For both of us."

 _Convenient? Is that what she calls it?_ She paused for a moment then blinked in confusion. _Wait, 'both of us'?_

Koutarou leaned forward, elbows on his knees. "I'm listening."

"You're unemployed, are you not?"

He sat silently for a long moment before letting out a quiet "Maybe a little bit."

"In that case, I have a proposition for you. Tell me, how many vacant rooms does this mansion have?"

"Somewhere between ten and fifteen. Why?"

She let out a sigh. "My current living situation is… to put it bluntly, it's miserable. My apartment is small and stuffy, my neighbors are nightmares, and my landlord is insane. Truth be told, I don't feel safe there. Just this last Sunday, someone broke in while I was out working."

 _Wow, that's really scary… Maybe she should just move in regardless of how the competition turns out._

"So that's why I'd like to live here instead."

 _Wha…_ She stood there for a second then pulled away from the door as she felt a warm joy fill her body. _R-really?! Misa-san's gonna be living here?!_ She struggled to restrain herself from squealing out in excitement as she quietly bounced up and down, ridding herself of the excess energy she'd just gained from that burst of euphoria. _Wait!_ She gasped and returned to her position. _Koutarou-san still has to say yes!_

"Here would be very convenient for a number of reasons," she continued. "For me, there's more space, it seems quieter, and, if I'm not mistaken, you have indoor parking for motorcycles."

"I have a shed," he corrected flatly.

"That's still better than the parking lot. For you, I have a job, meaning that there will be more than one stream of income coming in here and you won't have to stress as much over your finances. I'm willing to pitch in when it comes to bills and food and the like." She leaned forward and extended her hand. "So, what do you say?"

He extended his own and shook it gracefully. "You are always welcome here."

This time, Sakura couldn't contain her excitement. She let out a childish squeal and turned away from the door, sporting a smile that spanned from ear to ear. Any negative thoughts that had plagued her mere moments before were gone; Misa was going to be living with her! It was just too exciting. So exciting, in fact, that she had to express it. She turned back around and pushed through the door. "Misa-san!"

The woman turned around just in time for her friend- no, her roommate to launch over the couch into a hug. She blinked in surprise as her arms were pressed against her sides against her will. "S-Sakura?! Were you listening that whole time?!"

"Yup!" she beamed, pressing her face into her shoulder. "We're gonna be living together! It's so exciting!"

Her shocked expression slowly shifted to content and she let out a soft chuckle. "I hope you don't mind preparing an extra serving of tomorrow's dinner, then."

"Of course not!" She pushed herself out of the hug and grabbed her by the hand. "Come on! Let's go tell Yuugiri-san and Tae-chan!" She pulled and immediately ran for the door, not seeming to realize that she had pulled off her arm at the elbow. _Tomorrow night's dinner is gonna be great!  
_

Misa looked at the door, then her stump, then Koutarou. "Do you mind if we discuss the details later? I'm a bit busy at the moment."

"Yeah, sure," he shrugged. "Go ahead." He watched the zombie exit then leaned forward with a stressed exhale. He immediately reached for his bottle of whiskey and lifted it up to his mouth. "I just hope he never shows up here…' he muttered under his breath prior to downing as much as he could fit in one mouthful.

* * *

"So watch your back. You don't wanna mess with the walking dead."

The bartender's old eyes watched the video's final seconds play out before him with an unamused look. Sure enough, the police chief who had come to him the night before wasn't kidding in the slightest. The zombies he'd resurrected a mere month ago were out of control and causing havoc. And what was worse, the public knew about them; 'knew' as an understatement. Their YouTube video was nearing a quarter of a million views. "Tatsumi…" he growled, frustrated at his carelessness. "I shouldn't have trusted you with them…"

Before him on his desk were two things: his laptop computer, one which had serviced him for many years that he had upgraded with time, not unlike himself, and a plain notepad, filled from top to bottom of records of his conversation with Sakai, all written in shorthand. These two things were all he had to find evidence that these girls had made themselves publicly known, and to his dismay, it had been as easy as one Google search. The power of the internet was devastating when it came to spreading information. By now, there was no doubt that they had already sent shockwaves through society with their horrifying physiognomy and terrible agenda. But just how did this happen…? That was what he needed to find out.

He picked up his notepad and began scanning it. There were lots of little tidbits of incriminating data sewn throughout, but that wasn't really what he was looking for. He needed the cause, not the effect. Eventually, his gaze came to rest on one piece of possible testimony. "Shinta Okoba, eh…?"


	146. The Simple Plans

Sakura's eyes gently opened to a beige ceiling lightly illuminated by the morning Karatsu sun. She stared at it for a second then raised her arms over her head to stretch. She started a yawn as well, but started coughing as she realized the piece of red hair in her mouth. "GHAK!" she hacked, pulling it out immediately. She glared at the strand of hair in her hand then let out a sigh and pushed herself up into a cross-legged seat. _Another morning…_

"Are you okay, Sakura-han?"

She looked to the side to see Yuugiri giving her a concerned look from the foot of the couch. "Oh, um, yeah, I'm fine. Good morning."

She returned a warm smile. "A good morning to you, too."

Her head swiveled around on her neck in search. "Where's Misa-san?"

"She decided to sleep in a separate room this time. I wonder if she's feeling ill…"

She stared blankly at her. "You don't need to be sick to have your own room…"

"Really? Is that how it is now?" She paused for a moment then reached under the couch and pulled out her opium lamp. "How times have changed…"

"Yeah…" She pushed herself to her feet with a quiet grunt. "I think I'll go say good morning to her. Which room is she in?"

She pointed with her kiseru as she gave directions. "The room outside to the right side of the stairs on the left facing the road outside."

She took a few seconds to process these instructions then smiled graciously. "Thank you!" She turned around and headed for the door opposite the windows. She walked out into the hall, found the room that was supposed to be Misa's, and peered in through the window. Through the glass, she could see two pairs of glowing red eyes on the floor near the middle of the room. _There she is!_ She gently knocked on the door as she pushed it open. "Good morning, Misa-san!"

"Hm?" Misa was currently nested in a futon with her smartphone held at an arm's length above her with Tae, who seemed fascinated with the bright lights of her phone, at her side. She moved her arm aside to get a view of the zombie walking in through the door and gave her usual smile. "Ah, Sakura. Good morning."

"Good morning!" she replied, accidentally repeating herself. She stepped inside a bit and looked around the room, which was a fairly large space with two windows looking out to the street. "Why'd you sleep in here instead of with us like last time?"

"This is the room I picked out for myself," she answered. "If I'm going to be living here, I'd rather not have to share a room with two… three other people. I don't mind that every once in a while, but I like to have my own space most of the time."

"Oh…" She paused for a moment then brought a hand up to her chin. "Actually, why do we all sleep in the same room…? We live in a mansion."

"Tatsumi told me it was to make you all bond together," she shrugged, putting her attention back on her phone. "Back when he was still trying to make you into idols."

"Grruaahhg…" Tae groaned, bringing a hand up and swiping Misa's phone screen.

"Hey, now." She gently grabbed hold of Tae's wrist and moved it back down. "Remember what we talked about?"

She blinked one eye after the other and let out another soft moan.

"That's right." She released her and brought her hand back up to her phone. "You know, I was actually thinking that room could make for a nice common area for us. If we set up a TV with some chairs, maybe a computer, it could be a nice place to relax, especially with the fireplace for the winter."

Sakura cocked her head and let out a sheepish smile. "You're really thinking long-term, huh?"

She chuckled softly to herself. "I can't help it, I'm excited. This place is far better than anywhere else I've ever lived. I want to make it even better."

"Yeah, me, too… Maybe I should ask Koutarou-san if me and Yuugiri-san can have our own rooms, because that actually sounds like a really good idea."

"Doesn't it?" She set her phone down, disgruntling Tae, and pushed herself up to a sitting position. "Tatsumi and I are going to my apartment today to grab the essentials, pack everything else up for the move, and talk to my landlord so I can break lease."

She blinked. "Wait, isn't that illegal…?"

"I run one of Karatsu's most threatening biker gangs, Sakura. I can do as I please." She brought a hand up to gesture as she talked. "Tomorrow, I should be moving in fully, and Sunday we have a fight. After that, though, I'd be more than happy to help you and Yuu renovate. Just be aware that I won't exactly know my schedule until after our gangs have fought."

"Of course! I'm pretty busy, too, so…"

"Oh, your rally, right?" she questioned, growing a smug look. "Maybe I'll pop by. It's been a long time since there's been a rally on this side of Kyushu." She paused for a second then pushed herself to her feet with a groan. "Well, regardless, I have things to do today, so I should probably get started…"

"Don't let me stop you!" she smiled, stepping back out the door. "I'll see you later!"

"Until then."

"Ghraaugh…"

With that, Sakura gently shut the door and walked back down the hall, undoing the bow ties tied around her hair. Inside her was a bubbly feeling, a sense of excitement she hadn't felt in a long, long, time. _Looks like we've got a lot to look forward to…!_

* * *

"Good morning, Saki," Junko cooed, kneeling beside her deflated bed. "It's time to wake up."

"Mnnh…" she groaned, bringing a hand up to rub her eye sockets. She felt the morning sunshine peeking through the windows as well as the flat surface of the floor through the bottom of the mattress and propped herself up on her elbow, loosening her stiff joints. "Morning…" she mumbled. She blinked, letting her eyes get used to the amount of light in the room, then turned to her sister beside her, who seemed more chipper than ever. "What's with the look?"

"Oh, it's nothing, really. I just decided on how you could make it up to me."

She cocked her head. "Make what up to you?"

"Sending me off to fight yesterday so you could avoid Maria. You said you'd make it up to me."

She stared at her for another second then gasped and nodded her head. "Right, right, right, right, right. I remember now." She sat up, grunting quietly as she did so. "Sorry about that. How can I make it up to you?"

She laughed softly before answering. "By letting me braid your hair."

At this point, she was mid-stretch, but that was thrown out the window as this sound reached her ears. She froze in place and her head slowly pivoted around on her neck until she was in her sight once again. "For real? That's it?"

"That's it."

"…Can I put yours into a mohawk?"

"No."

She sulked. "Fine. But not until after work."

This gathered a chuckle from the older zombie. "Of course not. We wouldn't want to ruin your tough guy persona, now would we?"

"Junko-chan!" Lily called from downstairs. "The commercial break's almost over!"

"Whoops, that's my cue," she stated, rising to her feet. "You go ahead and wake up, we'll meet you downstairs with breakfast."

Saki gave a thumbs up. "Sounds good to me."

She nodded, turned around, and walked out of the room. "I'm coming!"

Now alone, the blonde let out a deep breath of relaxation and continued stretching. _Getting my hair braided… what a drag. But I really do owe her one for what I did to her yesterday._ She brought her arms back down to her sides and took a moment to chill then rolled over and crawled toward the nightstand beside Lily's bed. As much as she hated to admit it, Lily was right: just one day of steady use of her smartphone and she was totally hooked. She unplugged it and inspected her screen to read the long list of notifications. There were plenty from Twitter and a few from Youtube, but two plain old text messages were what really caught her eye.

'hye call me when you get this', Maria wrote. 'i had some ideas i want your input on'

 _Hye? The hell does hye mean? Does she mean hey?_ She stared at the screen for a second then shrugged. _Eh, whatever._ She quickly unlocked the phone, navigated to the phone app, and started calling Maria. She sat back against the nightstand and ran a fingernail between her teeth as she listened to the dial tone.

After a few seconds, a familiar voice appeared on the other end. "Hey."

"Hey, girl, what's up? Heard you had some ideas for me."

"Yeah, a few. It's all rally stuff."

"Okay, tell me what you got."

* * *

"Alright, listen up!" Maria shouted, hands on her hips, facing the majority of her crew. "Tomorrow's the rally, so we gotta prep today! We got plenty of stuff to do, so I don't wanna hear anyone complaining! You all with me?!"

"Yes, boss!" Emi and Sachio replied, them and Hana standing at attention.

She nodded and turned to the zombie beside her. "It's all you."

"Thanks." Saki stepped forward with her arms crossed. "Okay, pay attention, 'cause I'm only gonna say this once! You guys are all on promotional duty!" She picked up from the seat of her bike a stack of red flyers printed on standard B4 paper. "Maria made these flyers this morning, and your guys' job is to go around putting 'em up! Me and Maria will handle the rest of the prep, so once you're done with that, you're done for the day! You can just go home after that! Got it?!"

Ai blinked and stared at her in disbelief. "Seriously? That's all we're doing today?"

"It's not like we can collect tribute," Lily shrugged back.

"This feels a little overkill, though…" Sakura frowned. "Seven people to put up flyers in one city?"

"Nope!" Maria corrected. "Seven people to put up flyers in one PREFECTURE!"

All seven of their gang's lower members froze in their tracks and stared at the boss with terrified eyes. "WHAT?!" over half of them cried.

"Not the WHOLE prefecture!" Saki groaned. "Jeez, Maria, give the gang heart attack, why don't ya?!"

She grew a smirk and looked away as she chuckled to herself. "Heh, my bad."

She rolled her eyes and looked back at her crew. "You guys are gonna go around in three groups! Newbies are one group and Kamikaze squad is split into two!" She pointed to two girls in particular. "Shrimpy, Blackout, you guys know the geography, so you each lead one of the teams! Take one of our lovebirds here and-"

"I call Ai-chan!" Lily called, immediately latching herself onto her sister's side. "I got Junko-chan yesterday, so it's only fair I have you today!"

She looked down at the girl now attached to her and gave a loving smile. "Sure."

"So that means…" Sakura looked over at the white-and-blue-haired girl, who was giving her a similar look back. "Me and Junko-chan."

"Those your groups?" Saki questioned.

"Yup!" Lily nodded.

"Okay!" She pointed to the newbies. "You guys! You're new, so you just get Karatsu!" She pointed to Lily. "Shrimpy! You know Saga, so you get to cover that!" She pointed to Sakura. "Blackout! Karatsu's taken, so you get Imari, Takeo, and Taku!"

Junko cocked her head in confusion. "Wait, why do we get three…? And Takeo…?"

"Ah, it's okay, Junko-chan!" Sakura assured. "Those three are all pretty small cities! It should be just about as much work as covering one of the big ones like Saga or Karatsu!"

"So Takeo is a city, too…" she mumbled quietly.

"Alright, enough with the chit-chat!" Maria snapped. She grabbed the stack of flyers from Saki's hands and split them evenly as best she could. "You guys know what you're doing, so get to it!" She handed one stack to each group then backed up and put her hands back in her pockets. "Remember, rally starts tomorrow at ten, so be there at nine-thirty at the latest!" She gave the newbies a nod. "We'll be in Karatsu for a few hours today. You guys run into any problems, give us a call."

"Okay!" Emi grinned, giving a thumbs up before turning around and hurrying over to her bike with the rest of her group.

"Bye, Saki-chan! Bye, Maria-chan!" Sakura waved, climbing onto her bike.

"They had us drive all the way to Karatsu for that…?" Ai muttered under her breath. "What a waste of time."

"Oh, don't be such a grouch!" Lily giggled.

"A grouch?! How was that grouchy?!"

"Bye, Saki-chan! Bye, Junko-chan! See you at home!" With that, she turned on her engine and sped off.

"HEY! DON'T JUST IGNORE ME! GET BACK HERE!" She forcefully brought her engine to life and peeled out in seconds, hot on the blue-and-green-haired zombie's tail.

Junko and Sakura stared at the two figures flying away from them and turned from each other, each with a small laugh. "She has too much pride," Sakura noted.

"Agreed." She brought her key out of her pocket and placed it into her keyhole. "Shall we?"

"Yeah! Let's go!" She tore out of the lot with great haste with her senior behind her and together they flew down the street, headed south to Imari.

Saki watched the four zombies disappear from sight then turned to Maria. "Y'know, I don't really know why we never put up flyers back in the day. Guess I never thought about it 'cause I was never in charge of that crap, but I never saw any."

She moved her gaze back over to her and gave a smirk. "Sounds like whoever was in charge of that was lazy as hell."

She let out a snicker and brought her arms up behind her head. "Yeah, probably. Not like it matters anymore." She paused for a second then gave her an eager grin. "Just you and me today, huh?"

"Yeah, looks like it." She turned and started walking past her to their bikes parked side-by-side. "I don't think we've ever had a day where it was just us."

She followed beside her, managing a yawn. "Nah, there was the hospital thing we did on Monday. That was kinda like this."

"We should do that again sometime."

"Hell yeah."

The two made their way over to their bikes and took a seat, each starting the process of bringing theirs to a gentle purr. "So, what's the plan for today?" Maria questioned.

"Uh, let's see…" Saki muttered, loosening her grip on her left brake and bringing her right hand to her chin. "We gotta go buy whatever stuff we need that Shades doesn't have already then plan out what we're gonna do tomorrow. Should be pretty easy."

"You know which store?"

"Eh, I'm leaving it up to you." She pressed the button to start her engine and the bike ignited in a cacophony of low growls.

Maria did the same, her ride roaring in a similar fashion. She revved her engine excitedly, eager to get to work. She slowly raised her left hand over her head. "Let's ri-"

"Hey, Saki!"

The two's exit was cut off as Sachio's voice cut in and they both turned to see the redhead strutting over with a fist on her hip. Saki noticed the other two newbies still sitting on their bikes behind her and she blinked. "Wait, you haven't left yet?"

"Uh, no," Sachio answered. "I wanted to ask a question first."

"Oh." She rested an elbow on her dash and rested her head on her fist. "Knock yourself out."

"So, there are two zombies in your squad… Bandages and Marshmallow, I think."

"That's right. What about 'em?"

"Are they, like, dating?"

She shrugged. "Yeah, pretty much."

"…I thought they were sisters."

Saki stared at her silently while Maria suddenly burst out laughing and slapped her on the back. "Oh, man! I was wondering when someone would ask!"


	147. The Tire Heist

"Hmm…" Maria hummed, reading the forecast for the following day on her phone. "Yeah, says it's supposed to be twenty degrees tomorrow. Partly cloudy."

"Okay, then we're gonna get the big one," Saki decided, reaching for the large bundle of bottled water on the bottom shelf. She hoisted it up onto her shoulder, put the two first aid kits on the floor beside her back under her arm, and slowly rose to her feet. "Think that's everything."

"Then let's get outta here," she replied, slipping her phone back into her pocket. Over her shoulders were four lawn chairs, each of a different color, and under her arm was a folding table. "I'm sick of carrying all this crap. Let's hurry up and get it to my place."

The two bikers had found themselves in the same sports store they had been in earlier in the week while getting Maria sparring equipment. It was small from an outsider's perspective, but it was actually fairly large on the inside, aided by the fact that it had two stories. The parking lot outside was a cozy area, just about as big as the building itself but without any indicators showing where to park. As such, the duo had parked in the shade across from the store to keep their bikes from getting any premature sun damage.

Saki and Maria walked side-by-side through the small aisles toward the checkout, pushing through the pain that was carrying such heavy loads. After a short walk, the two reached one of the checkout lines, staffed by a clearly nervous middle-aged man. Saki leaned forward and simply let the bottled water fall from her shoulder onto the surface of the conveyor then removed the first aid kits from under her arm with her free hand.

"Mind giving me a hand with these chairs?" Maria asked, lifting the table up and placing it down.

"Right." She turned to her and carefully lifted one of the chairs over her head and down onto the conveyor. She repeated this process with the next two, leaving the boss to take care of the last one. Finally, she let out a relaxed sigh, happy to get so much weight off. "Damn, that stuff was heavy…"

"You're telling me," she replied, placing the final chair down and running her arms in circles. "Those chairs really do a number on your shoulders."

"Yeah, I know. Woulda thought the straps would be more comfortable in the future."

"Y'know what? You're totally right, they should be better by now. What the hell are these chair companies spending money on?"

"Hell if I know."

The two walked over to be in front of the register, staring at the clerk, who seemed to get more and more anxious the closer the pair got to him. They watched him shakily scan their goods one-by-one and set them to the side, clearly trying to balance speed with caution. Maria pulled out her money clip as the total began to add up and pulled out the appropriate amount of cash.

Finally, the man set the final chair to the side with the other things and looked at her but soon averted his eyes to avoid direct eye contact. "T-twenty thousand, eight hundred twenty-six yen."

She handed over the money and stared blankly at the man, whose facial expression was doing nothing to hide his fear. She grew a small smirk and leaned over to whisper in Saki's ear. "Hey, check this out."

She glanced at her out of the corner of her eye then looked back at him, not really getting what her point was. "Well, yeah, we're Dorami. Of course he's gonna react like that."

"No, I mean, watch what I'm about to do."

She turned to her again, now intrigued. "What're you about to do?"

"Just watch."

The clerk finished getting her change and slowly reached over the register to hand it to her. "One hundred seventy-four is your change…"

She took it silently and jammed it into her pocket without breaking eye contact. She continued staring at him for a long moment, not saying a single word.

He was obviously getting more and more scared by the second, as he shrunk down behind the register and peeped, "Have a good day…"

Suddenly, she planted a hand on top of the register and leaned over it, continuing her staredown with the now quivering man. Her presence there was terrifying; her menacing face had improved greatly during the three weeks she had been with Saki, and it was working wonders here. After a few tense seconds, though, she dropped her current expression and turned to the friendliest smile she had. "Thanks, you too."

Saki couldn't help but crack up at the exchange. "Holy crap, girl, that's brutal…"

She returned to her spot on the other side of the counter and started laughing with her. "You know me! I had to!"

"You probably scarred that dude for life!" she cackled.

"Like you didn't scar that receptionist on Monday."

"Alright, you got me there," she chuckled. She turned to their items on the counter and hoisted the bottled water back up onto her shoulder. "Now let's go."

The two took a second to load their new belongings up, this time with the chairs held in their hands instead of behind their backs. This was a temporary position, as once they got to their bikes they'd be switching stuff around again and putting some things in their storage compartments, so it didn't really matter who held what at the moment. Maria started walking and looked longingly at a soda machine as they passed. "Aw, damn, I shoulda gotten something to drink."

"Dude, we got all the time in the world today. We can get it if you want."

She shook her head. "Nah, I don't need it. Let's go." She turned her body to the side as she pushed open the glass front door and stepped out into the parking lot. She held it open for the zombie behind her then looked over at their bikes. Then she froze.

Standing across the lot, surrounding their bikes, was a set of eight boys in long blue jackets and black pants, each with a greased-up hairstyle. Similarly, there were a bunch of scooters nearby, not unlike the ones Maria and her friends had ridden prior to Dorami's zombification, all painted a deep navy blue. Each one of the group's members had a wild grin on their face and was laughing with the kind of snark that only high-schoolers could achieve. Their positioning all around the Dorami bikes and their demeanor could only mean one thing: they were a rival gang.

Saki and Maria's purchases hit the ground immediately as each dropped their load. They both took a moment to process their shock then slowly turned to each other and shared a nod. Maria's head snapped back forward and she scowled, more menacingly than she ever had before. "WHAT THE HELL DO YOU IDIOTS THINK YOU'RE DOING WITH OUR BIKES?!"

Each and every one of the boys stopped where they were and turned around, maintaining their mischievous grins; in fact, they seemed to grow even more excited upon seeing the duo. "Hey, boss! You were right! These are Dorami bikes!"

From the middle of the circle rose one figure that stood out among the rest: his jacket had some golden kanji on the back that was visible from beyond the circle and his hair was long and wavy. He turned around with a wicked smirk. "Awesome. Then we did a good thing here today, boys."

"WHO THE HELL ARE YOU SUPPOSED TO BE?!" Maria roared, clenching her fists and taking a step forward.

He chuckled cockily and walked through the circle, revealing the switchblade nested comfortably in his hand. "Teru Najakima, Prime Boss of Yarunesu. Maybe you've heard of me."

The two girls stared at him for a second then gave each other a look. "Wasn't that the one that emailed us on Monday?" Saki questioned.

"I think so…" Maria answered. She paused for a second then looked back at him, fury still in her eyes. "OKAY, ASSHOLE! WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING WITH OUR BIKES?!"

"Heh." He and the rest of his group stepped to the side, revealing their bikes with their tires slashed and about half their paint scraped down to their original Korosuke colors. "I fixed 'em up for ya! You're welcome!"

Saki's eyes bulged open as she saw her handiwork laid to scraps before her very eyes. Slowly but surely, her anger built up inside of her and she gritted her teeth. "YOU BASTARD! I'LL KILL YOU!"

He glared at her, still wearing his smile confidently. "As if I'm scared of a girl with a gimmick! You're nothing without your zombie thing!"

"YOU GOT NO IDEA WHO YOU'RE TALKIN' TO, KID!" she growled back. She tore her glasses from her face so she could properly express her rage with glowing red eyes. "IT'S CRUSHING PUNKS LIKE YOU THAT MADE ME THE LEGEND I AM!"

"Then what're you waiting for, huh?!" he teased, flashing his knife. He snapped his fingers and the whole gang behind him pulled out identical blades and flipped them open. "COME AT ME!"

"USING KNIVES?!" Maria scoffed. "FIGHT US LIKE MEN, YOU COWARDS!"

He hesitated for a second, showing a hint of surprise followed by unease. He glanced over at his crew, who seemed equally nervous, before licking his lips and putting his knife away. "We can take them," he assured, quietly enough to where the girls couldn't hear. "It's nine on two." His actions were soon followed by the rest of his gang, who put their blades away slowly.

Saki smirked as she read his lips and leaned in to whisper to Maria. "They're bluffing. I'm gonna beat the crap out of them."

She stepped back into a stance with her hands up. "Let's do this together."

She blinked and looked over at her for a second then smiled and stepped into the same stance so their backs were against one another. "I wouldn't let you do this if they were using knives."

"Why do you think I had them put them away? Don't want you to have ALL the fun."

She let out a chuckle. "Alright. You got my back, I got yours."

"Definitely."

And with that, the two girls kicked off, running side-by-side into the fight. Each step meant a new surge of adrenaline for each and they both had an excited grin almost immediately. They sprinted across the parking lot and once they were close enough, they coordinated their attacks perfectly: Saki jumped up and kicked one boy in the face while Maria leaned in close and elbowed another in the jaw. Both attacks sent their targets crashing into the ground and just like that, the battle had begun.

One of the guys who had been standing next to Maria's victim gritted his teeth, leaned forward, and threw a punch directly toward her head.

She noticed the fist flying toward her out of the corner of her eye and leaned forward to dodge it. She felt it brush its way through her hair then grabbed it with her closest hand, twisted her hips, gripped his throat with her other hand, and pushed her leg behind his to trip him and push him at the same time, essentially tackling him to the asphalt below. She obviously had a handle on things as they were.

Saki was doing even better, though, as she was currently bent over with two hands on a guy's arm as she pulled him by it to flip him over her back and slam him into the hot pavement below. She watched him smash into the earth then looked up, hands confidently on her hips. "I got three! How many are you on?!"

"This one's my third!" she answered, grabbing one boy by the shoulders and throwing a knee up into his gut. She tossed him to the side and gave her a smirk back. "We competing or something?"

She shrugged. "Why not? Makes it more fun." She looked past her and pointed. "By the way, that guy's not down yet."

"Huh?" She turned to see the guy she had just kneed still on his feet. "Tsk." She took a step forward but instead of using this momentum to punch, this time she kept the motion going and turned around, lifting up her back leg and striking him in the side of the head with her heel. Her balance was wobbly, but she still managed to land back on her feet okay. A wide grin spread across her face and she looked back at Saki for approval; however, something else caught her eye and she called out to her. "SAKI, GUY AT FOUR O'CLOCK!"

"Huh?" She glanced over her shoulder out of the corner of her eye to see Teru right behind her, preparing to throw a weak punch. She smirked, bent her knees, and leapt up, leaning backwards into a backflip. As she flew over the high-schooler, she slapped both his cheeks mockingly twice in a row. Then, once she was on the ground behind him, she pulled him back by his hair directly into a headbutt on the back of his head. She felt the sting for a moment, but because of her undead skull, it was just that: a moment. Soon, she was looking over at her friend and giving her a thumbs up. "Thanks, Maria!"

"Don't mention it!" she replied, swinging her steel toe into one dude's crotch. She waited for him to keel over in pain then brought her fist up to the side of her head and swung it as hard as she could into his temple, her knuckles making an imprint in the nerves at the side of his skull.

Finally, Saki looked to the last Yarunesu punk, who had backed himself against the wall. She locked eyes with him, grew an evil smirk, then grabbed him by the shirt collar and pulled him away. She tugged him around until she caught a glimpse of her teammate and released him toward her. "Hey, Maria! Catch!"

She looked up to see the teen stumbling backwards toward her and, thinking fast, brought up a leg and kicked as hard as she could right in the lower spine. This, combined with the subsequent punch from Saki in his ribs, was enough to put him out of commission immediately. She watched him crumble to the ground then shot a look over to the four Saki had felled. "Huh, we tied."

"Nope! I won!" she shot back, pushing her to the side and blocking the fist that was headed for the back of her head. She stepped around her and gave a quick throat punch to the kid before looking over her shoulder at her boss. "You missed one."

"Awh, damn, did I?" She looked down at him, recognized him as her second victim, and let out a sigh. "Crap, that's the second one in a row that got back up…"

"Hey, don't worry about it!" Saki assured. "You have way less experience than me! Can't expect you to knock 'em all out first try like I can." She grinned from ear to ear and wrapped an arm around her shoulders. "And, can I say, I MISSED fighting with someone by my side!"

She chuckled. "It's a lot easier, isn't it?"

"Hell yeah it is! I didn't even get a scratch!" She let out a chuckle. "Man, these idiots think they're a gang… Yeah, right."

She shared her smile for a second then turned her gaze back over to their rides and was reminded of why they were fighting. "Oh, right, our bikes."

In less than a second, her grin turned back into a scowl. "Right… let's dish out some punishment." She removed her hold from her shoulder and squatted down in front of the guy she had just punched. "Hey!" she barked.

He covered his head with his arms and let out a whimper.

"Hey, we're talkin to you!" Maria snapped, squatting down beside her. She tore the boy's arms from his head with one hand and slapped him with the other. "Answer her!"

"Y-yes!" he sputtered out, still trying to pull his hands back in to cover his face.

Saki grabbed him by the collar and leaned in close. "Which of you dumbasses did that crap to our bikes?" she seethed.

"I-it was just Teru! The rest of us just watched!"

"Just him, huh…?" She slowly turned her gaze to the boss she had destroyed and rose to her feet. She cracked her knuckles as a wry smirk made its way onto her face. "Big mistake."

Though Teru was lying face-down on the ground, it was clear that he was listening and that he was terrified. He gradually pushed himself up onto his ass and started crawling backwards away from the two Dorami chicks, who were now walking over. "S-stay back!" he heaved. Thinking fast, he pulled back out his switchblade and angled it up at the girls. "I-I know how to use this!"

They stopped where they were and each gave each other a blank look before the zombie leaned forward, grabbed the knife by its blade, and tore it out of his hands. She flipped it shut, dropped it into her pocket, and squatted down before him. "You really think that's gonna work on US?! We're Dorami, bitch!"

Maria immediately picked up her leg and swung her boot directly into the side of his head. "This is what happens when you screw with REAL bikers, you prime DUMBASS!"

"Guh!" he croaked, falling to the ground once again, opening himself up to a barrage of kicks from Saki and Maria, who were throwing threat after threat at him while slamming their boots into his chest. He did his best to block their assault with his arms, but every time he did so they'd just move where they were kicking: from his ribs to his spine to his crotch to his head, there was nowhere he was safe. He felt the blood pooling beneath his head and let out another wheeze.

"It's a pain in the ass to replace tires, ya know that?!" Saki fumed, slamming her boot into his already twisted nose. "You just made our day one hell of a lot harder!"

"Maybe we should slash YOUR tires, see how YOU like it!" Maria added.

"Yeah!" She reached into her pocket and pulled out the switchblade she had confiscated from him. "Maria, keep beating his ass, I'm gonna go slash their tires!"

"You got it!"

She stepped over the bruised and bloody teenager and waltzed over to the gang's rides, which were parked side-by-side. She knelt down beside one and stabbed the front tire with the knife then dragged it through a fair distance to make a gash like the ones in her and Maria's tires. She repeated this process with the back tire then did the exact same on each and every scooter in the lot and kicked them over, leaving them on their sides. Once she was done, she let out a satisfied exhale and put her hands on her hips. "Man, now I'm feeling better."

"I'm not!" Maria grumbled, continuing to slam her boot into Teru's spine. She gritted her teeth and stopped for a second, panting with fatigue. "Hey, Saki, gimme the knife for a sec!"

She walked back over, flipped the blade shut, and placed it in her hand. "You gonna stab him or something?"

"Nah, I'm gonna do something better." She squatted down behind him, flipped back open the knife, and grabbed his greasy long hair. "We gotta do something about this idiot's look." She bundled up as much of his hair as she could in her fist then slashed, cutting off a huge chunk. She stood up, sprinkled the hair over the groaning teenager, wiped her hands on her pants, and handed the blade back to Saki. "Okay, now I'm good."

She snickered as she dropped it into her pocket. "Damn, nice job."

"Thanks. This oughta teach them not to screw with us." She glared at the rest of the gang on the ground, who all averted their eyes and stayed in place. With a smirk, she turned to the zombie next to her, her breath now slowing back down to a normal pace. "Now what the hell are we gonna do about our bikes?"

"Trust me, I know how to deal with this kinda stuff. Not the first time it's happened." She brought her arms up behind her head with an irritated sigh. "Once we're done taking all these idiots' money, we'll get some duct tape… but that'll only hold the air for a little bit. We're gonna need to find some new tires." She looked to their stuff on the ground near the entrance of the store. "We should probably move our stuff."

"Right." She wiped some sweat off her brow and let out another deep breath before heading over. "Maybe I do need that drink after all."

* * *

Saki gazed up at the house before her with a miffed expression on her face. Though this was Maria's home, it was a home she shared with someone else: her mother. Saki and Reiko weren't exactly on the best terms, to say the least, so being here brought her bad vibes and worse memories. Needless to say, it had put a real dampener on her mood. _Damn traitor._

Maria pressed the 'open' button on the panel beside the garage door, clapped it shut, and turned back to her bike. "We can just put this stuff in the back for now, I'll figure out a spot for them later." She stopped just beside her ride and glanced down at her tires to see that one of them had a silver piece of duct tape barely hanging on and the other's tape had clearly gone missing on the drive to her house. Both were almost completely flat. "Also, we need new tires. Soon."

She looked back down and shot a quick look at her own tires, which were in pretty much identical states. "Yeah, we should get on that as soon as we're done here." She flipped the kill switch on her bike and stood up beside it, taking the liberty to push her bike into the garage rather than ride on it. This was difficult, as one of her arms was occupied with carrying a folding table.

Maria's garage was rather spacious for a one-car, which was fitting for a home suspended so high above the street. Against each wall was a large steel shelf with all sorts of things on it and on the right there was also a wall of boxes and on the left was the sad thing Maria had called her bike up until two weeks prior. Though there was no car here right now, it was clear by the wear-and-tear on the concrete floor that one was regularly there. There was also a door in the back left corner that presumably led inside.

The two stopped their bikes just inside the entrance, set down their kickstands, and began walking deep into the garage. "Where do you want these?" Saki questioned.

"Uh, I dunno. Toss them in the corner over there." She gestured with her head to the back right corner. "I'll figure out a permanent spot later."

"Alright." She made her way over and released the folding table then lifted her arms up over her shoulders to take off the chairs on her back and tossed those down as well. She watched Maria unload then turned back around to face their bikes. She grimaced at the sight. "Aw, man, they look even worse from the front…"

"Yeah, they're a mess," she added, looking back at them while taking the can of diet coke out of her pocket and opening the tab. "Pretty bad timing, too."

"No kidding." She walked back to her bike around to the back, where she found the bottled water jutting out of the storage compartment. She pulled it out and carried it back to the corner, where she immediately dropped it onto the floor. "Okay. We're fine holding onto the first aid kits for now. Actually, we probably should have started carrying some sooner."

"I thought about getting one, but I never got around to it," she shrugged.

"Good thing you haven't fallen off your bike yet, then, or you'd be screwed."

Maria laughed uncomfortably. "Probably, yeah…" She glanced over her shoulder at their rides. "So, what're we gonna do about those?"

"The bikes? Well, first things first, we gotta get some new tires. After we got the tires, we'll worry about the paint, but I'm honestly kinda thinking about re-doing all of them now that we can afford it. The spray paint doesn't look as good. Plus, I wanna make ours custom."

"Custom?"

"Yeah, y'know, like, better than everyone else's. Well, I mean, yours already is, but I mean… My old bike was pink."

She blinked in shock and turned to her, a surprised smile on her face. "Pink? YOU?"

"What? You got a problem with that?"

"No, it's just… you don't seem like the kinda girl that'd be into pink."

She shrugged. "Eh, well, I was back when I was seventeen when I painted it. I'll probably make my next one orange. Anyways, you get the point. Tires first, paint later. Bitches gotta drive."

"Tires first, huh…?" She paused for a second then turned to a shelf against the right wall of the garage, where there was a large array of tools. "I might know where to get some. What do we need to change them out?"

She followed her with a condescending snicker. "C'mon, girl. There's no way you know where we can get new tires."

"Oh yeah?" She took a sip of her drink then lowered it back down and pointed over at the two neighboring motorcycles. "See the black paint on those things? Those are Korosuke bikes, right?"

Her eyes turned skeptical and she stared at the pair. "Uh, yeah… what about 'em?"

She grew a coy grin and looked back at her smugly. "Tires are pretty expensive, aren't they? Once you get one hole…"

With the realization of her plan, Saki's eyes grew in delight and a proud smile appeared on her lips. "Damn, girl, you're clever."

* * *

The two bosses looked up at the Korosuke warehouse before them, each bearing a confident grin. This had been the site of their greatest triumph yet, and if things were to turn out anything like they did last time, then what they were about to do would go just as well. With a nod, Maria gave the command that set the zombie at her side running. "Scout us out."

"You got it." Saki marched forward up to the side where the pillars were and leapt up the same way she had on Sunday. She grappled onto one side then kicked off and turned around to cling to the other over and over again, wall jumping up the entire way until she reached the top. Finally, she raised a hand up to pull herself up there but instinctively let go as the heat from the metal roof made its way into her fingers. "GAH!"

"Oh yeah, the roof is probably really hot!" Maria called from below. "So watch out for that!"

"Yeah, thanks!" she yelled back down, rolling her eyes. She rolled her sleeve over her hand, pulled herself up onto the roof, and walked over to one of the skylights she had peered in earlier in the week. She covered her eyes to help her see inside but groaned in disappointment at what she saw. "Awh, man…"

Within the warehouse was, as expected, the huge pile of tires in the corner. However, there was also a large group of Korosuke girls sparring hand-to-hand with a few on the outskirts watching and giving tips. Some wore protective gear, some didn't, but all were clearly fighting as hard as they could. Obviously, this was practice for the upcoming fight. They were dispersed throughout the warehouse, but most were concentrated around the middle.

She pushed herself back up to her feet, made her way back over to the edge, and dropped down, making sure to bend her knees as she landed so as to not hurt herself as much as last time. She looked up at Maria and shook her head. "There's tons of them in there."

"Damn it!" she cursed. "How the hell are we supposed to snag some tires when there's an audience?!"

She brought a hand to her chin. "Hmm… they'd probably flip if they saw us sneaking in… If we wanna get our hands on those tires, we're gonna have to get our hands dirty."

"We can't," she rebutted. "If Misa finds out we trashed their asses two days before the fight, she'll totally cancel on us. We gotta pull this off without getting noticed. Like, the perfect heist."

"Oh, right." She turned her head around to get a better view of the lot they were in and caught a glimpse of a black Korosuke bike parked at one end of the warehouse. Slowly but surely, a devious plan started forming in the back of her mind and she let out a smirk. "The perfect heist, huh…?"

* * *

"Kumiko, keep your hands up!" Atsuko ordered, extending a pointer finger toward one of the two rookie fighters before her. "You can't let your defense drop, even for a second!"

"Sorry, Atsuko!" she grunted, raising her fists back up to her head level before turning her attention back to her opponent.

She watched her for another second then let out a sigh and turned around to coach some other group. After Misa had put her in charge of training for the big day, she had put all her effort into making sure this thing was a success. If anything, she was determined, and there was no way she'd let anything stop Korosuke from winning this final challenge. But all that effort she had was soon to be put to a stop as, unbeknownst to her, a heist began right beneath her nose.

On the rooftop above, Saki dropped to her knees beside the skylight she had smashed with her sisters mere days before and peered inside. Luckily, now seemed like the perfect time to get started, as not a single one was looking her way. In her hand she held the key to their victory. It was a relic, rescued from one of the bikes at the base of the warehouse. With an excited snicker, she gently lowered it down through the gap and let it fall.

CLANG KA-CLANG-LANG!

All of the fighting inside stopped as the unmistakable sound of a crowbar hitting the ground echoed throughout the warehouse. Everyone slowly turned to the weapon, which lay on the cold concrete floor right beside one sparring duo. There was a long, haunting silence before Atsuko made the first comment. "Whose is that?!"

The silence resumed, leaving a confused Korosuke staring at their highest ranking officer.

"Guys…" She marched over to it and picked it up, waving it in front of the pair next to her. "Whose is this?"

"It's not mine!" one protested. "I left mine in my bike!"

"I don't even use a crowbar!" the other exclaimed.

She stared sternly at them and let out a frustrated exhale. "Listen. We're not supposed to use weapons in this fight. As much as I wish I could swing my shovel over those bastards' heads, I can't, 'cause those aren't in the rules. Now, whoever's crowbar this is, go put it away. I told you this morning that I don't want you training with your weapons in your back pockets."

The two girls gave each other a silent look, each expecting the other to step forward and take it. Neither did.

Atsuko frowned at this and held the crowbar further out with a tighter grip. "One of you, take it. Now."

"B-but it's not mine!"

"And I don't use a crowbar!"

"I don't care whose it is!" she snapped. "Just take it and put it back in your bike!"

The first girl looked to the second and gestured to the weapon. "Asuka, come on. It's not that big a deal."

She blinked in surprise. "Wh- ME?! I DON'T USE A CROWBAR! IT'S OBVIOUSLY YOURS!"

"Seriously? First the bike, now this? Why can't you just own up to your stupid mistakes?"

"HEY, THAT WAS OUT OF MY CONTROL!"

"You left the fucking keys in it! How was that out of your control?!"

"W-W-WELL… AT LEAST I ONLY LOST ONE! KUMIKO LOST TWO!"

"HEY!" the girl in question yelled. "WHY AM I ALWAYS YOUR SCAPEGOAT?! SAYAKA'S THE ONE WHO STABBED HER OWN GAS TANK!"

"THAT WAS EIGHT MONTHS AGO!" another voice jumped in, breaking away from her sparring partner and angrily walking toward her. "WHY DON'T YOU EVER SHUT UP ABOUT THAT?! I'M NOT THE ONE WHO GOT POISON IVY FROM GOING TO THE BATHROOM ON THE SIDE OF THE ROAD!"

"THAT WAS ONE TIME! IT'S NOT LIKE I DID IT TWICE LIKE TOMIKO DID!"

A girl in the corner froze up and turned a bright red in response. Her partner gave her a shocked look then scowled at her accuser. "NOT COOL, KUMIKO!"

"WILL SOMEONE TAKE THIS STUPID CROWBAR?!" Atsuko screamed, trying and failing to put a stop to the budding conflict. It was only a matter of seconds before she was surrounded on all sides by arguments between almost half the gang's members.

Saki smiled, dumbfounded at how well her plan was going. _Damn, Korosuke bitches are so stupid!_ Despite how much she would have loved to stay and watch the show, she had a job to do. She rose to her feet and hurried across the roof to the other side, where she saw Maria waiting below. "We got 'em! Get in there!"

"Right!" She gently pushed the warehouse door open, trying to minimize the creaking caused by its rusted hinges. She poked her head through, taking note of the positions of all the girls, then forced it the rest of the way open as Saki landed on the ground behind her. "Let's go! Let's go!" she whispered loudly.

She turned around and rushed through the opening, stopping before the adjacent stacks of tires. Then she reached for the stack closest to her height and picked up the one on top. She passed it over to Maria, who chucked it as far as she could outside, then repeated this process with the next one and the one after that. Finally, she picked up the fourth tire and ran out with it tucked under her arm. She emerged a few steps later and turned around, raising her free arm over her head in a fist. "HELL YEAH!"

"Hey, watch it!" Maria scolded, slowly and gently closing the door behind them. "I haven't closed the damn door yet!"

"Oh, right." She lowered her hand and rested it on her hip. Through the open door, she could still hear the sound of frustrated yelling. She let out a smirk, still satisfied at how easy it was to set them all off. _They're all really rowdy, huh_ _…? Maybe it's worth recruiting a few of the smarter ones once we crush them._

Maria slowly backed up, letting the steel door shut fully and latch, then turned to her with an excited grin. "HELL YEAH!"

"HELL YEAH!" she cheered back. "That was AWESOME! I've never done a heist before!"

"Me either!" she effused. "I had no idea it would be so much fun!"

"I know, right?" She took a second to cherish the moment then took a deep breath and looked at the three tires scattered across the ground. "Okay, let's get outta here." She walked over and picked one up, running her arm through and dropping it on her shoulder. "Once we get the plugs in, switching them out'll be a piece of cake."

Maria took her pair of tires under her arms with a grunt. "Good, then let's get this done, 'cause I'm starving. I didn't have any breakfast this morning."

"Wanna get Tori?"

"What? Seriously? That's all the way in Imari! And wouldn't that be the third time you've gone this week?"

"So?" Saki shrugged. "Used to go pretty much every day back-"

Suddenly, the door behind them creaked open and out came a girl in Korosuke uniform with dark brown hair split into two ponytails. She stepped forward, letting the door shut behind her, and raised a hand up to let her eyes adjust to the sun. "Man, you guys have the right idea… It's crazy in there."

Saki and Maria froze in place and gradually turned back around. They each stared at the girl in horrified silence, their hearts once again pumping with adrenaline.

After a few seconds, she brought her hand back down to her side and took a moment to blink. "It might sound a little cliche, but…" She turned to them and opened her mouth to say the second part of her sentence. Yet, as she processed who exactly she was talking to, the words miraculously vanished from her head. "Uhh…"

The two opposing sides stood there, eyes locked on one another, for what felt like an eternity. In reality, it was only a few seconds, followed by Maria dropping one of her tires and using both hands to throw the other one at the girl. "GAH!"

"Whoa!" She brought her hands up to block the tire and knocked it to the ground. "W-what's g-g-going on?!" There was a tremble in her voice, one that clearly indicated that she was terrified.

Saki didn't respond. Instead, she released her own tires and launched herself forward, placed her foot behind hers, and tackled her to the ground, where she laid on top of her with an elbow pressed into her shoulder. "Really, Maria?! Throwing a tire?!"

"Hey, I panicked, okay?! Cut me some slack!" She walked over to her side and squatted down beside the two with her elbows on her knees. "She saw us. What're we supposed to do?"

"We obviously gotta get her not to tell!" she answered. She looked down at the girl beneath her. "Hey!"

There was no response. The girl in question had a blank look in her eyes and was staring off into the sky with her mouth hung slightly open. She was completely silent.

"…Hey." She slapped her gently on the cheek to get her attention to no avail. "You okay?"

"Dude, I think you knocked her out," Maria observed.

"No, there's no way. I didn't knock her down hard enough for her to get knocked out." She paused for a second then frowned. "She's probably just faking." She smacked her again, this time quite a bit harder. "Hey!"

"Saki, chill out!" she ordered, grabbing her by the shoulder. "If you didn't knock her out, then she just fainted! Quit slapping her!"

She glanced over at her for a second then looked back at the twin-tailed girl on the ground, who now had a stream of drool headed down her cheek. "Oh, yeah, you might be right."

Maria let out a sigh and pulled her off of her. "She'll be awake in a few minutes, probably a bit dizzy and tired. We'll talk to her then. She might not even remember."

Saki took a squat beside her and watched the unconscious girl's chest bounce up and down with her breathing. "Sounds like you know a lot about fainting."

She shrugged. "Migikawa used to faint a lot. You kinda get a feel for it after the first few times."

"Oh, really? I used to know a girl who fainted a lot, but she wasn't in my squad, so-"

Just then, the door behind the two opened yet again, making both girls just about jump out of their skin. This time, though, Maria was ready, and she stood up, grabbed Saki by the arm, and dragged her away from the grounded girl before they were noticed. "Someone's here! C'mon!" she whispered harshly. Since the door they were at was right at the corner of the warehouse, she was able to hide on the wall adjacent to the one with the door on it. She pulled the zombie to her side then peeked around the corner to see two Korosuke girls gasp and rush over to their fallen friend. "Crap… It's a good thing they didn't notice us, but we're screwed if she remembers us being out here."

"Pull your head back!" Saki whispered, yanking her by the chin and bringing her back behind the corner. "The last thing we want is to get caught here!"

"Right, sorry." She took a deep breath and leaned against the wall. "Guess we're waiting for them to all go back inside, huh?"

"Yup. Let's listen and see when."

The duo silenced themselves and pressed their bodies against the concrete wall behind them to help them listen properly. Though they could still hear the quiet rumblings of the arguments inside, the girls outside were loud and clear.

"Is she okay? Is she bleeding?" one asked.

"No, she's fine," the other answered. "I think she fainted while carrying out these tires. My only question is what she was doing with them. Well, that and why she fainted."

"She probably brought them out to sit on them… It is pretty crazy in there."

Saki and Maria shot each other a quick look of hope then went right back to listening.

"As for why she fainted, I have no idea. Maybe she just isn't feeling well?"

"She doesn't look sick… We'll just ask her when she wakes up."

"Yeah… So what're you supposed to do when people faint again?"

"Um, I'm not sure. For now we should probably move her out of the sun, though. Here, help me carry her around the corner into the shade."

With that, the two Dorami girls gasped. THEY were around the corner in the shade. Maria turned to Saki with a worried expression on her face. "What do we do?" she questioned quickly and quietly.

She stared at her for a second, wracking her brain for ideas. After a second or so, she realized their only option and groaned. "Gimme a sec," she replied, stretching out her back as best she could. _What a pain…_ Then she turned around and leaned over slightly. "Climb on."

After a moment, two girls in Korosuke uniform trudged around the corner, the ponytailed girl in their arms. Once they'd completely reached the shade, they set her down and each let out a sigh. The one in front turned around, wiped her hands on her pants, and looked up at the other. "Bring the tires around so she has something to lay on."

"Sure." She turned around and walked back into the sunlight. As was apparent by their relaxed demeanor, she, as well as her coworker, were both completely oblivious to the zombie and human duo just meters above them.

Saki clung onto the concrete pillar with all her might, trying to balance the combined weight of her and Maria, whose arms and legs were wrapped around her torso. This was much harder than she'd thought, though, and it was taking immense concentration to keep herself from tilting away from the wall and falling down. She knew she would only last another minute or so if Maria didn't contribute somewhat, so she slightly turned her head around and whispered to her. "Lean into the wall or we're as good as dead."

She perked up at this command and did as she was told without question. "You got it." With her grip still tight around her best friend, she shifted her weight to the left until her side was pressed against the wall. "This better?"

"Yeah. Just like that. Don't move." This was easier on her for sure, but not that much easier. No matter which direction they leaned, gravity would still be pulling them down. She knew that eventually her fingers would have to give in from the strain, and it's not like she could just jump up to the roof with such a heavy weight on her back. All they could do now was hope that the girls below them would go inside soon. _C'mon, c'mon, c'mon!_

By the time the Dorami duo had finished repositioning themselves, the Korosuke duo below had maneuvered their friend onto the tires. They had her laying on her back with her feet propped up by an additional tire and her head hanging inside the one supporting her neck. The two stood side-by-side, admiring their handiwork for a second, then turned to each other. "Which squad is she in?" one asked.

"How am I supposed to know? I didn't even know her name."

She brought a hand to her chin. "Hmm… her squad probably knows how to handle her fainting better than we do. Let's go find someone."

"You go, I'll watch her."

She hesitated for a second then begrudgingly turned around and stormed around the corner. "Great… Now I gotta go break up some stupid fight for some stupid girl in a stupid coma…" she grumbled. The door could be heard creaking open and slamming shut behind her.

"Damn it, why not both of you…?!" Maria muttered to herself.

"Maria, I dunno how much more of this I can take…" Saki groaned. She could feel the tension in her fingers building up and each second on the wall took every ounce of strength she had.

"Okay, uh, don't let go, we can't go down," she said, a slight worry manifesting in her voice. "Maybe we can switch?"

"Switch?! I can barely hold your weight, how the hell do you expect to hold mine?!"

"Uh, crap, okay, uh… Maybe jump to the other side so you can switch hands?"

"I can't kick off the wall with your weight on my back! If I could, we'd be up on the roof by now!"

"Well, what if…" She looked down at the ground for more ideas but froze in dread at what she saw instead. "Okay, nope. We're screwed."

"Huh? Why're we screwed?" She turned her head around to ask, saw her face pointed down, and followed her gaze. There, she locked eyes with the girl laying on the tires, who was staring at them with her eyes as wide as saucers. "Oh, yeah. We're totally screwed."

She took a second to process the image of two rival gang members clinging on the wall up above then screamed at the top of her lungs. "IT'S DORAMI!"

The girl standing on the ground beside her gasped at the sudden outburst and took a knee right in front of her. "Hey, hey, hey, relax! You just fainted!"

"Y-YEAH, AND… DORAMI!"

"We're not training right now! You need to chill out! You just fainted!"

"NO, THEY'RE… LISTEN TO ME!" She tried to push herself up off the tires slowly.

"Calm down!" she ordered, planting her hands on her shoulders and pushing her back down. "You're not making any sense!"

Saki and Maria watched the two bicker at each other, flabbergasted. "She's not even listening to her…" Saki observed.

"Now's our chance!" Maria grinned. "If we leave right now, no one'll believe her 'cause they'll think she's hallucinating or something! And we might be able to grab some more tires from the inside, too!"

She glanced over her shoulder at her with an adrenaline-fueled smirk. "You're crazy… Just the way I like it. Let's do this." She waited a second to give Maria adequate time to prepare then gently released her grip, making sure to give them a soft landing so as to not reveal that they were really there. She felt Maria's arms and legs disconnect from her torso then slowly started sneaking back toward the corner where they'd came.

"LOOK! THEY'RE… BEHIND YOU!" the girl on the ground cried, desperately trying to get the one beside her to look over her shoulder. "I'M TELLING YOU… RIGHT THERE!" She tried to push herself up again but the hands on her shoulders kept her from doing so.

"Stay down!" she replied, clearly annoyed. "What, do you have sleep paralysis or something?! No one else is here!"

Saki and Maria each stifled a laugh at this and turned the corner, the show behind them still playing out. They stopped just outside the door to the warehouse and slowly peeled it open, peeking inside to see that their distraction had died down for the most part. Obviously, taking another set of tires would be much riskier this time around. "Still feel like getting our tires from here?" Saki asked. "We can always go buy 'em."

"Aw, where's the fun in that?" Maria snickered. She pushed the door open the rest of the way. "Let's move."

The two slithered into the darkness and Saki found herself following Maria as the younger girl hopped over the tire pile and crouched down behind it. She joined her in this hiding spot and let out a chuckle. "Damn, you really love getting us into trouble, huh? Why're we hiding?"

"One of them went back inside to get someone from her squad, remember? We'll wait for them to go back out THEN make a run for it. Don't want anyone even looking this way, let alone walking this way."

She nodded in approval. "Decent plan."

"Thanks. It took me like five seconds to make."

The two shared a quiet chuckle then ducked down even lower as they saw and heard two Korosuke girls approaching them.

"So we laid her out on the tires, but we don't really know what else to do from there," the one who was outside explained. "That's when I came to get you."

"Mmm…" the other hummed, a hand on her chin. "You did okay, but next time don't move her. Just put her legs up." She stuck her boot into the closing door and pushed it the rest of the way open, making the ranting and raving outside all the more audible. "What the…?!" She began sprinting, followed by the one who had come to get her.

"Now!" Saki whispered, standing up, putting her arm through two tires on the top, and lifting. With the two tires under her arm, she booked it toward the door on the opposite end of the warehouse. Though her steps were loud and bulky, she knew most wouldn't think anything of it due to the chaotic nature of what was going on. She ran the length of the short end of the warehouse, pushed open the door with her side, and held it open for a second for Maria, who was right behind her with two tires of her own. Finally, she released the door, leaving it to close behind them, and bolted from the scene, dragging her tires along as fast as her legs could carry her. She looked over at Maria and saw the same excited grin on her face as she had on her own and let out a cheer. "WOOHOO!"

"IT'S DORAMI!" someone screamed behind them.

The two gasped and froze in their tracks, again taking a long, slow minute to turn around. They were so close. So close. Mere steps from freedom and someone had…

No one was behind them.

The two blinked, shot each other another look, then were reminded of their little friend when they received an encore.

"I'M TELLING YOU! THEY WERE RIGHT HERE! HOW DO YOU MISS SOMETHING LIKE THAT?! THEY WERE ON THE WALL AND EVERYTHING!" The sound of the fainter's voice echoed around the warehouse. Clearly, she was still trying to convince the rest of them that Dorami was in fact there.

Maria laughed. "See?! It worked!"

Saki pinched the bridge of her nose as she tried to contain her laughter. "Holy crap, how did that work…?"

Realizing they'd already won, the two girls took a much more leisurely pace out of the lot with the warehouse in it and across the street to the alleyway where they'd parked their bikes. Once they were finally out of sight of the warehouse, Maria tossed down her tires and threw a fist in the air. "The perfect heist!" she cheered.

Saki chuckled and shook her head. "No way in hell was that perfect. We made it out by the skin of our teeth."

"Yeah, but it was fun, though."

She shrugged smugly. "Heh, you got that right." She dropped her tires and held out her hand. "Gimme some."

She looked down at her hand and had a flash of wonder in her eyes. She dropped her fist and started doing their handshake, whispering the movements to herself as she went along. "Slap, slap, bump, catch, pull, toss, catch, push, shoulder-" She paused as she and Saki pulled one another close to bump their shoulders together then broke apart, ending with a "boosh".

She breathed a sigh of satisfaction and put her hands on her hips. "Man, that was one hell of a heist." She looked down at the tires on their bikes, which at this point were really just flat lumps of rubber. "Now let's get to Seven-Eleven so we can use the air pump again after we switch these babies out."

* * *

Saki gave her back tire a squeeze, feeling how firm it was in her hand. She studied its strong pushback, considered it for a second, then nodded in approval. "There we go."

"We good?" Maria asked.

"Yup."

"Finally," she sighed, taking the air hose from her hand and putting it back on the machine. "Feels like we've been messing with these tires forever."

It was about an hour and a half since they'd done the heist, and though switching out tires on a bike was always a pain, it got easier as it went as the two bikers formed a cooperative routine. The first tire had taken them just over twenty-five minutes, but the last one was done in just ten. By now, the sun was hanging high overhead and it was long past lunchtime.

Saki pulled out her phone and turned it on for a second to see the time. _2:12._ "Whaddya wanna do for lunch? I was thinkin' Tori."

"I know," Maria replied blankly. "You've been talking about it for hours."

"Huh, have I?" She stood up and stretched, undoing the stiffness that had formed in her legs as a result of her squatting for so long. She kicked the jack under her bike's frame, making it release and drop the vehicle to the ground.

"Yeah, no offense, but I kinda want something closer. No breakfast, remember? I'm starving. I want something now." She walked back over to the now-grounded bike and took the jack out from underneath. She tapped the top to make sure it was fully withdrawn then turned around and put it back into the case she'd found in her garage earlier, filled with all the tools needed to change a tire. "There's a yakiniku place just around the corner. How's that?"

"Is there chicken?"

She facepalmed. "Jeez, Saki…"

"What? There's no point in having yakiniku if it's not chicken!"

"Ugh… If you order from the kids' menu, then yeah, they have chicken."

"Great! Let's go!" She sat down on her bike and pulled her key out of her pocket. "I'm starving!"

She removed her hand from her face and placed the case into her storage compartment. "Thirty-eight years old and you're ordering off the kids' menu."

"Hey, from my point of view I'm only eighteen!"

She looked over her shoulder at her, a lazy smirk on her face. "That still doesn't make you a kid."

"Ah, who cares! I can do whatever the hell I want! Just sit down already so we can go!"

She chuckled at this and relaxed into her bike's seat. She removed her key from her pocket and it was only a matter of seconds before her ride was resting at a low growl. She looked over at the zombie beside her, whose bike was also running, and called out to her. "Tires are lookin' good!"

"Yeah?!" She looked down at her wheels, which looked healthy as ever, save for the little rubber plugs in the nail holes. "Let's see how they feel!" She twisted back on her throttle and took off, rocketing across the Seven-Eleven parking lot, running a stop sign, and turning onto the street. She laughed in amusement and looked in her mirror to see the orange-and-purple-haired girl hot on her tail. And in that moment, staring at her best friend, she realized one amazing, incredible thing.

She left the valve cap for her back tire on the ground back there.


	148. The Flyers and The Fame

Although seeing Dorami around Karatsu was becoming a more and more regular thing, the onlookers couldn't help but gawk at the blonde-haired zombie and the orange-and-purple-haired human seated on one side of the yakiniku restaurant. They had been there for a while now, about half an hour, but the spectacle was still something to behold. Every once in a while, one of them would turn their way and yell at them for staring, but it couldn't be helped; they were simply too bizarre to not goggle at. And speaking of yelling, one of them was glaring their way right now.

"Quit staring at us!" Saki barked. "Keep that up and I won't be the only one who's dead!" She watched the restaurant's other patrons avert their gaze then sighed and turned back to Maria. "What's with these people? Can't mind their own damn business."

"Tell me about it." She picked a sliver of beef off the grill and lowered it onto her plate. "Did people stare at you this much back when you were alive?"

"No way, everyone knew not to screw with us." She rested an elbow on the table and her head on her fist. "Maybe we oughta make an example out of one of 'em next time."

Maria chuckled and shook her head. "Nah, that's too much work. We already had that whole tire thing and I kinda wanna just chill for now."

She shrugged. "You're the boss. You were saying?"

She dunked her piece of meat in soy sauce and put it in her mouth. "Right, as I was saying… this whole 'necromancer' thing is genius. It writes itself. Basically, you guys were biker legends who died way back when, I brought you back to make Dorami good again. Maria the Necromancer. You get the idea."

She grew an amused smirk. "You're really into that title, aren't you?"

"Hey, you would be, too!" She swallowed the meat in her mouth and immediately put another slab of steak on the grill. "I'm totally gonna make sure everyone hears it at the rally."

Suddenly, she remembered something and gasped then groaned. Her hand dropped down to the table, disappointed. "Damn it, we totally forgot to get those wristband things…"

"What wristband things?"

"Y'know, the ones they put on you at concerts and stuff so security knows you paid to get in." She inhaled through her teeth and ran one of her hands through her hair. "If we wanna charge admission, we gotta have those…"

"Well, don't worry about it, dude. We got plenty of time today, we'll grab some once we're done here." She paused for a moment then set down her chopsticks. "Actually, there's probably a lot of stuff about the rally we gotta get sorted out."

She stared ahead briefly, thinking, then sat back in her seat with her arms crossed. "It's not that much."

"Okay, but it's still kinda important." She pulled her phone out of her pocket and went straight for the notes app. "Like, who's doing what, y'know? I mean, me and you are obviously gonna be the main event, but do we have a plan for everyone else?"

She brought a hand up to her chin and nodded. "Right, right, right, right. Okay, let's get that figured out."

* * *

Junko held her hand out to the side and squeezed on her brakes. She slowed to an eventual stop right next to a telephone pole, followed by Sakura, who stopped a little bit in front of her. Without so much as a word, she opened the storage compartment of Sakura's bike, pulled out a flyer and a stapler, twisted her hips, and tacked it to the pole. She tossed the stapler back in the compartment then finally spoke. "Next."

The redhead let out a sigh and twisted back on her throttle, again feeling the acceleration of the bike pull on her body. She and the Showa biker had already completed their work in Imari and were now about halfway through Takeo, the second city on their to-do list. The only problem was that this was four hours into their work and they were only about two-thirds of the way done. She'd be lying if she said she wasn't bored. She just sort of stared ahead, lazily watching the road markings fly past, silently thinking. _I wonder what Yuugiri-san is up to right now… She's probably watching Tae-chan while Misa-san and Koutarou-san are out. I really should spend some more time with her… Maybe we could have a game night sometime next week or something. That'd be really fun. Maybe we could- OH! Zombies can take their limbs off and stuff, so we must be really good at Twister! Imagine if we all played against Koutarou-san, he'd be so mad!_ She giggled to herself and looked over to tell Junko what she had thought of only to find that she was missing. _Huh?_ She looked in her mirror to see the white-and-blue-haired zombie, stopped on one side of the road beside a telephone pole, staring blankly at her. _Oh, whoops._

Junko watched Sakura brake then slowly back up to be beside her before speaking again. "You missed my signal."

She sheepishly rubbed the back of her head. "Heh, sorry… I got a little caught up in my thoughts… I wasn't really paying attention."

"That's probably not a good practice for bikers." She leaned forward and opened her storage compartment once again, starting the process of putting up another poster. "I wonder what would happen to your memory if you were hit by another car," she mumbled, a nervous shake in her already soft voice.

Her guilty smile immediately vanished and sent her into humble silence. She watched her do her thing for a second then gasped as she felt a vibration come from her pocket. "My phone!" She pulled it out, read who was calling, swiped to answer, and held it to her ear. "Hello?"

"Hey, Blackout!" The voice of Saki came out the speaker loud and clear. "How's the whole poster thing going?"

She glanced at Junko, who had since began looking back at her. "Um, good! Good! We're almost done with Takeo, I think."

There was a short pause on the other end then a slow, "Whaddya mean, 'you think'?"

"W-well, um, I, um-"

"Eh, nevermind. I don't care as long as you get it done. Anyways, I called just to let you know that we're swinging by tomorrow at nine to get the sound crap and whatever."

"Oh, nine? Sure! How're we gonna get it to the field?"

Another pause, followed by a quiet whisper. "Dude, how're we gonna get the stuff to the field?"

 _You didn't think of that before?_

"Uhh…" Maria's voice appeared with an uncertain tone. "It'd be a pain in the ass to go back and forth… You can drive, right?"

"You mean like a car? Yeah, I can do that."

"Okay, why don't we just use Shades' van or something?"

"Eh?!" Sakura blinked at the suggestion and held the phone closer to her head. "I-I don't know about that one…! I think he's planning to use it tomorrow to help Misa-san move!"

Junko crossed her arms and looked away. She already knew this from her conversations with her during their four hours of work. She didn't really know how to feel about it.

"Huh?" Saki replied. "What did you say?"

"I said he's using it tomorrow to help Misa-san move!"

"…Misa's moving?"

"Yes!"

Yet again, she paused then clearly spoke across the table to Maria. "Dude, did you know that Misa's moving?"

"Huh? No. Is she?"

"Blackout says they're using the van tomorrow to help her do it."

"Oh." She let out a chuckle. "It's probably 'cause we broke in."

Sakura blinked. _You did what?_

Saki laughed. "Well, it's her own damn fault for leaving the window open. Besides, she kidnapped Shades. She totally had it coming."

"Eh, she was going through a hard time," Maria conceded. "Give her a break."

Junko leaned forward a bit with a raised eyebrow. "What's she saying?"

Sakura raised a hand to motion to her to relax then spoke up. "Um, hello! Can we stay on-topic please? How are we going to get the sound stuff to the field?"

"Eh? Oh, we're only using the van for a bit. They can just take it back once we're done."

"Oh, okay." She leaned forward, resting her elbows on her handlebars. By now, she'd grown annoyed at how long the call was keeping her. "Anything else?"

"Yeah, actually. Just wanted to let you know that you're gonna be working security with the newbies and Marshmallow's gonna be basic support. Got it?"

"Huh? Security? Basic support? You mean for tomorrow?"

"Yeah. She there? Can you tell her?"

She turned to Junko and held the phone away from her face. "Saki-chan says that you're working basic support tomorrow and I'm working security."

"Oh!" She let out a small smile. "Tell her I said hi!"

She returned the phone to her cheek. "Um, Junko-chan says hi."

"Aww. Tell her I say hi back."

She rolled her eyes and directed her attention back to her. "Saki-chan says hi back." She looked back at the phone. "Anything else?"

"Nope! That's it! I'm gonna let you go now so we can call the newbies. You're sure we can get the van for tomorrow?"

Before Sakura could reply, Maria spoke up. "Dude, relax. She's like his family. I'm sure it's fine."

This comment made Sakura freeze up. _F… family…?!_ She stared off into space, completely oblivious to the outside world. _My… family…_

"Eh, you're right. And even if he says no, we can always just steal it. Anyways, seeya tomorrow morning, Blackout!" And with that, the call ended, leaving a silent Sakura still deep in thought.

After a moment, Junko leaned over and looked into her eyes. "Sakura-san? Is everything okay?"

She blinked and looked over at her, throwing up her hands to reassure her as she did so. "Y-yeah, I'm fine! I was just thinking about something." She sat up and put her hands back on her handlebars. "Did you put up the poster?"

"Yes, I finished while you were on the phone." She turned back forwards. "Please make sure to pay attention to the road this time."

"Ah, don't worry! I will! I will!" She looked at the road ahead of her, twisted back on her throttle, and took off. _I have a lot to think about when I get home…_

* * *

On the east side of Karatsu, north of Kagamiyama, three girls in long red jackets rode through the residential streets side-by-side. They were slow, as this was merely their second day riding motorcycles, but every few seconds they would stop so one could get off and tape a poster to a telephone pole. And despite their low level of skill on the bikes, they were still talking as if they were naturals at what they were doing.

"So," Emi started, looking over at Sachio. "What do you think of Dorami so far?"

She glanced back at her with a small smile. "I like it. Once we get through all the waiting and finally get our own squad, I think it'll be cool. And the zombies are cool, too."

She nodded thoughtfully and turned to her sister. "What about you, Hana?"

The silent girl raised her hand up to give a thumbs up but panicked as her balance on the bike shifted so she brought it back down. "It's good."

She chuckled slightly at her mannerisms then looked back forward. "Yeah, I like it, too. Kinda lame that they wagered the entire gang on one challenge on our first day, but I guess that's just part of the biker experience, being all risky and stuff."

"Well, Bandages didn't seem to be such a fan of it," Sachio pointed out.

"Yeah, she did seem kinda stuck-up, didn't she?" She squeezed her brake as the trio approached the next telephone pole. "Hopefully we get more members at the rally tomorrow so we can all take them down." She reached a stop then turned to her sister beside her. "Your turn."

Hana frowned at having to get up then rose to her feet and started doing the deed. She took the roll of tape from Emi and a poster from Sachio and strolled over to the post to tape it on.

There was a sudden quiet buzz from Emi's pocket. She looked down, reached in, and pulled out her phone. Her eyebrows shot up at who was calling and she immediately raised it to her ear. "Hello?"

"Hey, Gizmo!" Maria's eager voice came through the other end. "Just thought I'd call and clear some stuff up about tomorrow."

"Oh, sure. Go ahead."

"Right, so, uh, you know how to do a lot of tech things, right? You have any experience working sound stuff?"

"You mean, like, mixers and soundboards?"

"Yeah, I guess. Stuff like that. We need someone tomorrow to handle it all for us while we're out there. You know how to do it?"

She scratched her chin. "Uh, I could probably figure it out really fast if I got there early. What time do we start setting up?"

"We pick up the stuff from Blackout's place at nine tomorrow."

"Is that Maria?" Sachio questioned beside her.

She glanced at her out of the corner of her eye and gave a quick nod. "Okay, guess I'll be there. Just text me the address."

Hana finished putting up the poster then turned back to her and pointed to herself.

Emi looked up at her and sat back in her seat. "Want me to bring Hana with me?"

"Uh, sure, we might be able to use the extra muscle, I guess," Maria answered. She then spoke more quietly, clearly addressing Saki across the table. "Do we actually know how much sound stuff Blackout has?"

"Your guess is as good as mine."

"Mmm." She directed her attention back to the phone call. "Anyways, you're on sound. Tell Silence and Freefall that they're on security."

"Security?" She turned to face her coworkers, who were now sitting side-by-side on their bikes. "Boss says you guys are working security tomorrow."

Hana formed an elated grin and Sachio nodded slightly.

She looked back forward and rested her free hand on her handlebars. "Okay, anything else we should know?"

"Uh… I think that's it," Maria answered. "I'm gonna let you-"

"Don't forget the GPS boxes!" Saki suddenly interjected.

"Oh, right! I totally forgot! Gizmo! How many of those GPS boxes can you make us?"

"Oh, those? Uh, they take just a few hours to make, but the parts are kinda expensive, so I was wondering if you'd be willing to buy them off me instead of me just giving them to you. Y'know, so I don't go broke."

She paused for a moment then again began discussing with her second-in-command. "She wants us to buy the rest of them."

"Yeah, that's fine. How much?"

She turned her attention back to Emi. "How much?"

She brought a hand to her chin. "Hm… it's around six thousand each."

"Only six thousand? Really? How soon can- HEY! QUIT STARING AT US! FINAL WARNING!" She sat in silence for a minute then let out an irritated sigh and spoke softly once again. "How soon can you get us them?"

"Um…" She gulped, a little confused by what just happened on their end, but answered regardless. "I'll probably be able to get one done today. The rest, though, with school coming up… it could be a bit."

"That's fine. We'll pay for 'em as they come, so just bring that one to the rally tomorrow." She paused for another second then started closing the call. "Okay, that's it. I'm gonna go now. Me and Saki are still gonna be in Karatsu for a while, so if you need anything else, give us a call."

"Got it. See you tomorrow, boss."

"Yup. See you then." With that, the call ended, leaving the three girls to their own devices.

"Security…" Sachio smiled. "Now THAT'S cool."

"Yeah, yeah," Emi chuckled, dropping her phone back in her pocket. "Just don't toss out anyone who might be good in our squad. We're supposed to recruit a lot of people tomorrow."

"Hey, you three!" an unknown voice called.

They each turned to see an orange-haired girl in a green hoodie standing on one side of the road with one hand in her pocket and the other pointing to the poster they had just put up.

"Dorami's having a rally tomorrow?"

"Uh, yeah!" Sachio answered. "Details are on the poster! Tell everyone you know!" She then turned to her crew and whispered. "C'mon, let's go."

She watched the three of them speed off then looked back at the poster with a smirk. "Heh… Maybe I'll go. Saki DOES owe me a race, after all."

* * *

The sound of Ai and Lily's engines roaring through the streets of Saga greatly overshadowed any other noise around them. The two were flying down the road, eyes forward and faces determined. Though their stops were frequent, the way they moved between them was calculated, methodical, and quick. They'd only been at it for a few hours and by now they had covered almost the entire city.

Ai pointed to a telephone pole on the side of the road to signal which one they were stopping at then squeezed hard on her brakes. She leaned back as her bike tilted forward and over the span of a few seconds she came to a complete stop. She heard Lily stop beside her and held out her hand. "Poster."

The child produced a sheet of red paper from inside her jacket and placed the top of it in her sister's palm. "There's not a lot left."

"Good." She slapped the poster onto the post and, with one swift motion, took out her nail gun, pressed it into the paper, and returned it to her pocket. With the sheet now tacked on, she twisted back on her throttle and took off again. All in all, they had been stopped for no more than three seconds and now they were back at full speed. Ai couldn't help but smile at how in-sync she and her sister were. It was only natural that her experience coordinating and planning was paying off here. She'd texted both Sakura and Junko while at lunch and it was clear as day that they were working faster than them. Within a few moments, she'd found their next target and did the exact same gesture as before to guide the child then pulled over once again. As soon as she'd stopped, she held out her hand for another. "Poster."

This time, though, Lily didn't give her a poster. "Wait, hold on! Someone's calling me!"

"Huh?" She looked over at her, eyebrows raised. "Who is it?"

She brought her phone before her eyes and beamed at the caller ID. "It's Saki-chan!" She swiped to answer and held it to her ear. "Hello~!" she chirped.

"Hey, Shrimpy!" Saki greeted back, sounding equally cheerful. "How are ya?"

"I'm good! Me and Ai-chan are out putting up posters right now, but we'll be done soon! How are you?"

"I'm doin' fine, kid. Me and Maria are just working out some details about the rally tomorrow."

She gasped lightly and formed a curious grin. "Like what?"

A quiet chuckle came from the other end. "Y'know, who's doing what. Who's security, who's sound, who's filming the whole thing so we can use the footage to hype up the next one…"

Her eyes widened and her smile grew even wider. "Did you say filming?"

"Sure did. And I already got the perfect choice for the job."

By now, she was absolutely giddy and just waiting for the validation she craved. She bounced up and down in her bike's seat, eager to hear her assignment.

"…And it's Ai."

"WHAT?!" Her scream was so sudden and loud that it made Ai jump.

A cacophony of mischievous snickers came from the other end and Maria's voice could be heard complimenting her compliment on the tiny prank. "Nice one…'

It took Lily a second to process that she had been had and she immediately pouted. "I hate you, Saki-chan! Maria-chan, too!"

Ai scoffed. "What did they do this time?"

She turned to her. "They said that you were the one filming tomorrow instead of me as a joke!"

She squinted in confusion. "Why? That's not even that funny."

"I know!"

"Hey, hey, Shrimpy, it was just a joke!" Saki chuckled through the speaker. "You don't need to take it so seriously. You're obviously filming."

"Hmph!" She sat back in her seat, clearly a little annoyed. "I better be."

She hesitated for a second then spoke again, this time in a much softer tone. "Hey, tell you what, sis. You do a good job tomorrow and, once we're done with the rally, I'll take you out for some ice cream."

Her eyes lit up at this comment and, though she didn't say anything, her breathing picked up to reflect her delight.

"Whaddya say? That sound good to you?"

The smile she had on before slowly returned to her and she nodded. "Yeah! Sounds good."

"Cool. Tell Bandages she's doing basic support with Marshmallow tomorrow while you're doing that for me, okay?"

She brought her free hand up to make a salute. "Okay! I'll tell her!"

"Alright, then that's it. See you at home."

"See you there! I love you!"

"Heh. Love you too, kid. Seeya."

"Bye!" She pulled the phone away from her head and hung up the call.

"What did she say?" questioned Ai.

She turned to her with a wide grin. "She said that if I do a good job tomorrow, we'll go out for ice cream!" She saw the look on her sister's face turn to a blank stare and she remembered. "Oh, yeah, also, you're working basic support tomorrow with Junko-chan, whatever that means."

She nodded thoughtfully. "That makes sense. I would be pretty good at keeping us on-track." She stretched her arms out to each side to get herself ready again. "Speaking of, what do you say we finish up this poster job?"

"Sure!" She looked back at her phone to put it away but something caught her eye instead. It was a text message. Her eyes quickly read it and she gasped. "Pappy says me and Saki-chan's bed arrived! He came home early from work to build it and wants to know if we can help!"

"Well, what are we waiting for?" Ai extended her hand. "Hand me a poster."

"Right!" She dropped her phone back in her pocket and reached into her jacket to produce a poster. "Here you go!"

"Thank you." She again whipped out her nail gun at a ridiculous speed and tacked the sheet to the post beside her in the blink of an eye. Then she pocketed the nail gun and immediately twisted her throttle once again, taking off with her back tires screeching.

"Oops!" Lily had forgotten to take off with her and scrambled to bring her hands to her handlebars. "Wait for me!" With a flick of the wrist, her engine revved back up and she shot forward after her black-and-red-haired sister, riding together toward the horizon.

* * *

Saki laid her phone down on the table and leaned back in her seat with a deep exhale. "There, that's all of 'em. Anything else we needa get figured out?"

Maria brought a hand to her chin and hummed in thought. "Hmm…" She sat there silently for a minute then let out a guilty smirk. "Heh. I guess it really wasn't that much."

"See? Now we're totally ready for tomorrow. Well, except for the wristband things, I guess."

She brought her hands down onto the surface of the table to use as leverage to push herself to her feet. "Well, we're done here, so let's get this over with."

"Right." She slid out of her seat and stood up, her legs snapping and popping with her motions. Then she grabbed her phone and dropped it right back in her pocket. "You have any idea where they sell those things?"

"Nope." She stepped out of the booth and raised her arms up behind her head. "But we got plenty of time to figure it out." She gave her a genuine smile and took a deep breath. "Y'know, I didn't think I'd be looking forward to tomorrow as much as I am."

"Oh, you better be lookin' forward to it." She playfully elbowed her in the side. "This is gonna be the best damn rally anyone's ever-" Saki stopped herself as she felt the piercing gaze of the dining room behind her and slowly turned her head around to see the people staring. "HOW MANY TIMES DO WE HAVE TO SAY IT…?!" she growled. She saw the crowd avert their eyes then leaned in close to Maria. "We already gave a final warning…" she whispered. "Want me to make an example?"

She glanced over her shoulder and paused for a second before shrugging. "You go ahead. I'll sit this one out."

"Alright." She cracked her knuckles and marched over to one middle-aged man who seemed to be staring an awful lot. "HEY! DIDN'T WE SAY THAT WAS A FINAL WARNING?!"

"W-what?!" he cried. Immediately after this he was socked across the face.

Maria watched her friend beat the man senseless for a moment then reached into her pocket and pulled back out her phone. She made her way to the email app and casually began scrolling through, swiping away redundant emails and marking other ones that she would respond to later. Already, emails were popping up left and right about the rally, which managed to put a smile on her face. If she was being honest with herself, she wasn't super sure about the whole rally thing at first, but now she felt confident Dorami would blow away whoever decided to show up.

After a minute or so of painful onomatopoeia, Saki threw the last kick into the now-grounded man and let out a huff. "That oughta teach ya not to stare!" She glared at him for an extra second or two then turned around and walked back over to Maria's side. "You ready?"

She looked up and dropped the device back in her pocket, still maintaining the happy look on her face. "Yeah. Let's go."

The two began making their way toward the register, leaving behind the scene they made in the dining room. Saki glanced over at her friend and raised an eyebrow. "What's with the look?"

"Huh?" She took a second to interpret the question then laughed and waved a hand. "Oh, I'm just super excited for the rally tomorrow, y'know? No joke, I think it's gonna be amazing."

"Hell yeah it is!" Her eyes lit up and she stopped in place. "Wait! Gimme a sec!" She turned around and poked her head back in the dining room. "Hey! If you idiots wanna stare so bad, why don'tcha come to our rally tomorrow?! A thousand yen to get in! Starts at 10:30! See you there!" She didn't even wait to see the reaction of the crowd before waltzing back over to where Maria was standing.

She blinked in surprise. "You're inviting those freaks?"

"Why not? They're paying us to get in. Who cares who shows up? The more the merrier, right?"

She raised a hand to her chin and pondered for a second before shrugging. "I guess so, yeah. We do need the money for stuff later down the line."

"Yeah!" She looked back forward and grew a grin of her own. "We're gonna get a ton of new members, a boatload of cash, and the respect we deserve! And we're gonna have one damn good time doing it! Isn't that right, Miss Necromancer?"

She chuckled to herself and crossed her arms. "Damn, I love being called that…" She nodded in agreement. "No matter who shows up, when they see what we have to offer, they're gonna lose their damn minds." She took a deep breath then continued her trek to the register. "Now let's get outta here. Wristbands aren't gonna buy themselves."

* * *

"So I went and brought her another phone charger, and when I got there she asked how I knew where she was," Okoba recalled. "When I told her, she slammed the door in my face. Like she didn't expect me to put a tracker in the phone I bought with my own money." He rolled his eyes as he said this and let out a disgruntled grunt. "So there went my contact."

The bartender rested his elbows on his knees and leaned forward, causing the chair beneath him to _creak_ with his movements. "But you know more."

He turned his gaze back to the old man and opened his mouth slightly. After a second, though, he closed it again then spoke. "Not until I get another cup."

He hesitated for a moment then reached into his satchel and pulled out a dark purple bottle with a long neck. He pulled out the cork, took a cup from the man's nightstand, and poured out some of the pink liquid inside. Once he had a full cup, he extended it to the bedridden man. "Here."

Okoba grinned and used his free arm to take the cup and down it. He had been skeptical at first, when a man claiming to have a link to the whole zombie controversy showed up asking for information, but all that skepticism was thrown out the window when he was handed a cup of this elixir. He'd already been dealing with zombies for almost a month now, so the existence of things that defied science didn't surprise him, but the potion's incredible effect did: it almost immediately healed his injuries. It had already somehow healed his broken nose and stopped all the pain in his tailbone with just one sip; now, the soothing feeling he'd felt before was back, spreading throughout his body like a warm bowl of soup.

He closed back up the bottle and dropped it back in his bag then looked back at him. "Now continue."

He glanced up from his cup, quickly finished it, and set it back on the table beside him. "Sure. The next day, I was in a Starbucks and I overheard some kids talking about a fight that was interrupted by a group of 'zombie biker girls'. After a little more listening, I figured out that I could find them if I waited in a park. So I did just that, and the second day I was out there they actually showed up. Miss Hoshikawa had since joined their group and they all had matching uniforms and a human leader, named Maria Amabuki. I had no idea who she was, but she wouldn't tell me much. None of them trusted me." He shook his head and pinched the bridge of his nose. "They let it slip that Sakura had been betrayed by Korosuke and been subsequently thrown off a bridge by Saki, and me reacting to it… well, it set them off. They destroyed Sagazine property and threw a rock at my head." He took a deep breath, feeling intense regret for the mistakes of his past. "And I had to push them one step further…"

The old man paused, thinking deeply about what had just been so casually dropped on him. Though his face didn't say it, this was all pretty damning. With each sentence, he could feel his responsibility racking up higher and higher. Nevertheless, he continued his conversation with the bedridden man. "What did you do?"

"I sold Tatsumi the name and address of Amabuki." He stared ahead for a second then sighed. "Clearly, this wasn't taken well. I don't know if he was forced to or not, but the next day he set me up. I went to our usual spot, but Dorami showed up instead and… well, they did this to me." He gestured to his broken and battered body, which, in actuality, wasn't as broken and battered anymore thanks to the elixir. "And you can guess where I've been ever since."

There was a short period of silence as the bartender merely stared at him.

He took the cue and spilled the last of what he had to say. "The last time I saw them, Sakura had since joined the group. She and Amabuki came to me asking for information on Saki's father. I don't know or care why. I don't want anything more to do with them." He glared at the bartender again. "If they come back to get me, so help me God-"

"They won't." He climbed to his feet and stared down at the relatively young man. "They won't be doing anything soon enough." He reached into his bag and pulled back out the purple bottle. "Here. For your troubles."

His eyes lit up and he held the cup out one last time. As he watched the man pour, he thought he'd ask a few questions of his own. "So, who are you, anyways? I didn't catch a name."

He finished pouring and recapped the bottle once again. "I've already told you everything you need to know about me." He slipped it back into his bag and gave him a somewhat fond look. "You're curious, Okoba. I can appreciate that. But this is something you're better off not knowing. Curiosity is what killed the cat." With that, he turned around and reached for the doorknob. "Thank you for your help."

"W-wait, I-" He attempted to sputter out an excuse to keep him from leaving, but realized he was probably right about him keeping himself out of it. Instead, he just sat back and took one long, quiet sip.

The bartender glanced over his shoulder as he left then continued back down the hall from whence he came. As he made his way over to the stairwell, he reached into his pocket and pulled out a single red sheet of paper, folded nine times over. He knew his memory wasn't the best, so he had to check one last time. Slowly, he unfolded the flyer and read aloud the date and time of the rally. "April 7th, 10:30 AM…"


	149. The Braid

_Ding-a-ling!_ A cutesy bell sound played in time with the opening of the glass front door of the shop. "U-um, thank you…!" a shaky voice called out from inside.

"Who woulda thought," Maria sighed, "that of all places… it was a crafts store?!" She sulked and slumped over, a frustrated groan escaping her lips. "Why HERE instead of the thousand other places we checked first?!"

"I dunno," Saki shrugged. "I guess… concerts and stuff are kinda art, right? The same way movies are."

"Oh, yeah, I guess so…" She shifted her grip on the three rolls of tyvek wristbands under her arm and looked forward toward their red and black bikes at the edge of the street. "Man, I'm so glad THAT'S over…" She glanced over at her fellow boss. "So, you got any plans for the rest of today?"

She paused for a moment then remembered her promise to her sister and sulked. "Yeah, gotta get my hair braided when I get home."

"What?"

She turned to her to explain. "Remember how I told Marshmallow I'd make it up to her after I saved your guys' asses from Korosuke? She wants to braid my hair. I don't really get it, but, hey, whatever floats your boat."

She stared at her for a moment then shot a quick look at her blonde locks. "Okay, can't say I blame her. You got some kickass hair."

"Ha! So do you, girl!" She stopped before her ride and pulled her key out of her pocket. "See you at Blackout's place tomorrow?"

"Hell yeah." She held her arm out behind her back. "Gimme some."

Saki took note of this and smirked. "Alright." She put her arm in the same pose and started with a horizontal high-five then a backhand high-five. Next came the vertical fist bump, reversed into the hand grab. Her hand ripped off at the wrist, and while Maria tossed it in the air she spun around on her heel. The two parts of her arm came back together and the two girls used that grip they already had to pull themselves in and bump shoulders then back up. "Boosh."

Maria gave her a cocky smile. "You added a spin?"

"Yeah, felt like I was just standing here doing nothing while you were tossing my fist, y'know? Thought I should add something."

"Huh, I like it. It works pretty well." She turned to her bike and climbed on, sliding her key into the ignition at the same time. "Anyways, see you at nine tomorrow."

"Nine it is! Catch ya later!" She grinned at her friend and watched her start her bike and speed off in the opposite direction she was due to go. Then she took a seat on her own bike and stretched an arm over her head before turning it on. _Man, I'm pooped… It's good to get to go home again._ She revved her engine, took a deep breath, and took off.

* * *

 _SCREEEEEEEEECH!_ The sound of rubber burning was sharp and loud as Saki slid sideways across the asphalt of the street. She stopped in front of her Saga home and took a second to catch her excited breath. "Holy hell, what a ride… Forgot how fast I could go without them holding me back…" She chuckled to herself and tugged gently on the throttle to carry her up to the garage door. Her commute had been short, only a measly twenty minutes, entirely due to the fact that she was riding alone. _I gotta go for solo rides more often 'til Maria catches up to where I am! That was great!_ She climbed off her bike at the top of the driveway and waltzed over to open the garage door. She inputted the code, walked back over to her ride, and pushed it inside the second the door was high enough. She took note of the fact that there were two other motorcycles already parked there and smiled. _Looks like those two beat me here…_ As soon as her ride was secure in the garage, she stepped back out, closed it, and started making her way over to the house's entrance.

It was then that the front door swung open and out stepped a beaming blue-and-green-haired zombie. "Saki-chan!" Lily called. She was dressed in her Dorami uniform, just lacking the boots and jacket.

"How's it going?" Saki grinned back. She made her way up to the porch with her hands in her pockets and stopped once she reached the top to ruffle up her sister's hair. "How's it going, kid?" she repeated.

She giggled and reached up to try and stop her from messing up her already messy hair. "Ahh! Nooooooo!" Eventually she got a grasp on her wrist and was able to lift the hand away from her head. "Not the hair!"

A snicker came from her mouth next and she stepped inside and sat down to take off her boots. "Come on, I know you like it when I do that."

She pouted playfully and stepped inside, shutting the door behind her. "Well, just so you know, our bed arrived, so me, Ai-chan, and Pappy are upstairs taking apart the old one."

She blinked. "Huh? Already? I thought it'd take longer."

She shrugged. "I did, too, but Pappy said they already had all the parts so they just brought them to us." She stepped out of the genkan and stopped behind her. "Come on! You can help too!"

"Alright, alright, I'll be up in a minute." She leaned over and started undoing her knots, and as she did so she heard the _whirr_ of an electric screwdriver from upstairs. _Man, those bed people are fast… Wonder how long it'll take to put this thing together._ She grunted as her boots came off then stood up and glanced over her shoulder to see the younger zombie, still there, staring at her expectantly. A smirk crossed her face and she turned around as she stood up. "Jeez, excited much?" She looked to the staircase. "I'll race ya to the top."

Her face suddenly turned determined and she gave her a confident look. "You're on!" She immediately bolted toward the stairs, a slight stumble in her step due to her socks on the hardwood floor, and began clambering up. She slapped the stairs with her hands as she propelled herself with her feet and soon found herself at the top when she slammed into the wall across from her. She took a second to recover then, sure that she'd won, looked down to the genkan with a victorious smile.

"Took ya long enough," Saki commented, not from the genkan, but from right next to her.

"What the?!" Her jaw dropped as she saw her sister standing over her with her arms crossed. "How did you beat me?!"

"I jumped over the railing," she plainly answered. A smug smile rested upon her lips. "Looks like I'm too fast for you."

"Hmmph!" she pouted.

She took another second to relish her victory then turned down the hall. "Anyways, let's see what's goin' on in here…" She peeked around the corner into her and the child's shared room. "Whoa."

The room before her was the same one she'd resided in for the last few weeks, save for a few major changes. For one, her air mattress was gone, replaced simply by the hardwood floor underneath. But that wasn't really what caught her eye; rather, it was the fact that the bed her sister had slept in was currently almost entirely disassembled. The mattress was rested up against the wall, stripped of its bedsheets, and the wooden frame that supported it was in pieces. Seated in the middle of the empty frame was Ai, electric screwdriver in hand, in the process of unscrewing the wooden slats from the main supports. On the outside was Takeo, who seemed to be the one responsible for taking the slats out and placing them to the side with the rest of the former bed. The whole place was extremely dusty.

Lily bounced down the hall behind her and appeared next to her at the door. "Saki-chan's home!" she announced, waltzing into the room and leaning against the propped-up mattress.

The two before her turned to her and Takeo greeted her with a warm smile. "Ah, Saki! We were just taking apart the old bed so we could put together the new one. How are you?"

"I'm fine," she replied, stepping through the doorway and to the side. She briefly reached up to take her jacket off, but a quick glance at the man made her hesitate and bring her arms back down. She didn't realize it, but something about him made her not exactly want to abandon it at the moment.

"Well, how was work?" he questioned. "I heard you were preparing for a rally."

She blinked in surprise. _Huh? He heard about the rally?_ She saw the faces of Ai and Lily staring at her in her peripheral vision. _Oh, right. Those two probably told him._ She brought a hand up and nervously scratched her chin as she spoke. "Uh, yeah, it's tomorrow, so we just went around getting all the stuff together, I guess. It wasn't that big a deal."

"We're totally prepared, right?" Ai prodded, raising an eyebrow. "You're sure you got everything taken care of?" She had actually taken the time to change out of her uniform, now donning a navy blue t-shirt and shorts.

She shot her a dirty look. "Jeez, relax, Bandages!" she remarked, leaning back against the wall. "It's a rally, not a concert! Doesn't have to be perfect!"

She frowned. "I'm not trying to make it perfect, I'm trying to make sure we don't have any last-minute problems tomorrow because you forgot today."

"Oh, sorry. Then we're probably fine."

"Okay, good." She held up a yellow electric screwdriver. "Then let's get back to taking this thing apart. We're almost done."

"Once we're done, we get to take a break!" Lily cheered.

She twisted her head toward her. "What're YOU so excited about?! You've just been standing there watching us the whole time! You don't need a break!"

There was no response from the child except for an especially smug expression.

"Ugh." She scoffed, rolled her eyes, and sat up so she could lean over and continue unscrewing boards from the frame. She then did exactly that, drowning out the rest of the noise in the room with the loud _WHIRRRRR_ of the screwdriver.

Takeo laughed through the noise and shook his head. "Ridiculous," he mouthed.

Saki watched for a moment then, once deciding that there wasn't really any way she could help right now, simply leaned against the closet door and pulled out her phone. _Wonder where Junko is…_ She inputted her passcode, opened the messaging app, and was just about to begin writing when, much to her surprise, a tan rectangle appeared at the top of her vision. She glanced up at it to see that it was a wooden board Takeo was extending toward her. "Huh?"

"Do you mind putting this with the others?" he requested, gesturing to her side.

She looked over to see that she was standing right next to a stack of wooden planks identical to the one before her. "Oh. Sure." She leaned forward a bit and grabbed it in the middle with her free hand. She felt a bit of tension as she came in such close contact with the man who thought he was her father, but she shook it off and carried the weight as the board transferred into her ownership. She twisted to the side and dropped it on top with a slight grunt and turned back to her phone. _Okay, now where were we…_ She began typing out a message with her unbandaged hand, one character at a time. _Hey… you… almost… done…? Everyone… else-_ Her typing stopped and she glanced forward as, again, a board appeared in her sights.

"Sorry," the dad chuckled. "It's just a few more."

She paused for a second, subconsciously eyeing the giant's demeanor, then gave a small smile. "Eh, no problem. Junko can wait." She pocketed her phone and grabbed the plank with two hands, this time a bit less tense. She easily stacked it atop the rest and looked back at the bed, where she saw Ai in the process of unscrewing another board. True to Takeo's word, there were only a handful remaining.

The bandaged girl moved from one screw to another, pulling them out and putting them in a bag beside her. As soon as the plank she was on was loose, she gently lifted it up and handed it off to Takeo. "Here."

"Thank you," he smiled. He brought the plank over to Saki and naturally started up a conversation. "So, Saki, what's a rally like? I've never been to one myself."

"Uh…" She took the board from his hands. "It's like… us basically showing off what Dorami's all about." She answered plainly and plopped the wood on top of the rest. "It's kinda a big deal for us."

He considered her response and turned back to Ai, who had started unscrewing the next set as soon as Saki finished her statement. He waited for her to finish then asked a follow-up while handing it off. "And what exactly are you all about?"

Before she could answer, Lily excitedly interjected. "Taking over the country!"

The two stared at her for a second, a little surprised by her outburst. After a second, Takeo chuckled and turned back to the blonde. "Is that so?"

She shrunk down a little at his amusement and obediently took the board, looking to the side to break eye contact. "Y-yeah…"

His eyes widened slightly. "Is something wrong? Are you okay?"

She stopped in the middle of putting the plank down and just froze. She continued staring ahead for a few more silent seconds then let out a long, deep breath and put the wood down. "I'm fine." She brought her gaze up to Takeo's face, but struggled to look him in the eye. Instead, she turned to Ai. "Bring on the next one."

She watched for a short time, silently studying the two. Finally, she lifted the drill back up and undid the next two screws. She dropped them down by her side and lifted the board up to Takeo wordlessly.

He carried the plank over to his other side and hesitated briefly before speaking again. "Saki, I… didn't mean to offend you. I hope you realize that I would never do that on purpose."

"It's fine," she mumbled. Without making any attempt at looking up, she grabbed the board. But when she pulled, it didn't budge. A shiver went down her spine and she glanced in her peripheral vision to see that Takeo was still holding on. She stared for a second then choked out, "I-I said it's fine…"

"I know what you said. But…" He looked down to the floor then back at her. "When I laughed just a second ago, I hurt your feelings, didn't I?"

Her eyebrows quivered and she quickly looked away. "I-I don't know what you're talking about," she sputtered out, her grip on the board tightening. "I told you I was fine…"

His gaze softened and he just watched her for a moment before nudging the board over to her and letting go. "Well, alright then. I'm sorry."

She took the weight into her arms and, after a short pause, gently put it down. She was silent.

Ai's piercing gaze was out, and by the look on her face, her mind was running. She sat there staring at Saki for a few seconds and was only snapped out of it when Takeo waved in front of her eyes. "Huh?" She blinked and gazed up at his anxious smile. "Oh, right. Sorry." She twisted around and picked back up where she left off with the next board. She shortly had the wood out of its place and into the hands of the giant.

He turned to the girl beside him and nervously attempted to revive their conversation. "Anyways, Saki, I actually think I might know the name Dorami from back when I was-"

All of a sudden, there came the sound of the front door opening then closing then locking. "I'm home!" a familiar voice called.

Lily gasped. "Junko-chan!" She fumbled her way around the bed materials and bounded out the door, eager to meet her older sister. "Welcome home!" she cheered, leaping over the balcony to the floor below.

Saki perked up and whipped her head around to the door. "Hey! Wait up!" She dashed out after the child into the hall and happened upon the sight of her and Junko already reuniting. With a small grin, she took a step back and threw herself over the railing as well. "Incoming!"

The two looked up at the blonde just as she was landing and the white-and-blue-haired girl squeaked in surprise. "Eep!" She stepped back in shock with the _THUD_ that came with her landing then let out a deep breath. "I've never seen you do that from the front before… It's a lot scarier than I thought."

"Huh? It is?" She glanced down at the stance she had landed in then returned her gaze to her. "I dunno about that. You go do it so I can see."

She managed a light chuckle. "Maybe later." She took a seat at the edge of the genkan and started undoing her boots. "How are you?"

She shrugged. "I'm alright, I guess. Was about to text and ask where you were."

"Oh, well, I wouldn't have answered, since I was driving." She paused for a moment. "Wait…"

"What's up?"

She sat still for a second then shook her head. "I was going to ask you something, but I forgot."

She shrugged. "Eh, you'll remember eventually. Just forget about it."

"Hey, hey, Junko-chan!" Lily beamed, "Did you hear that me and Saki-chan's bed came?"

Her head turned to her. "It did? Already?"

"That's what I said!" Saki agreed.

She smiled and looked back down at her boots. "Wow, it got here so fast… The future really is fascinating."

"That's not really because it's the future…" Lily muttered under her breath.

She soon had her boots back in the cubby where they belonged, so she stood up and stretched an arm over her head. "Where's Ai?"

Saki pointed over her shoulder. "Upstairs taking apart the old bed with Takeo."

She gave her a questioning look. "You mean… they're doing it for you?"

"Hey, we were helping, too! We just came down here to say hi."

"Oh, okay, then." She stepped out of the genkan and made her way over to and up the stairs, followed by the two others. She turned down the hall and stopped in front of the doorway leading to Saki and Lily's room. "Wow," she gawked, "it feels so much smaller with the pieces everywhere…"

"Welcome home, Junko!" Takeo's welcome came from within. "How was work?"

"It was fine, thank you," she answered warmly, stepping inside. "We took a lot longer than I would have liked, but it wasn't so bad."

"How long ago did you finish?" Ai questioned.

"Ten or twenty minutes, I think."

"Oh, okay."

Saki and Lily both peered around the corner into the room, just in time to see Junko step into the bedframe, kneel beside Ai, and wrap her arms around her shoulders. "Aww," Lily smiled.

"This whole 'rally' business sounds exciting," Takeo said. "Let me know how it goes tomorrow."

Junko hesitated briefly then blurted out, "Y-you're welcome to attend if you'd like!" She blushed faintly.

Saki's eyes bulged open. _W-what?! Why's she-_

The man shook his head. "I'd love to, but I'm already in a lot of trouble for skipping out on work so much recently. I'm almost out of sick days, and I haven't even gotten sick yet this year!"

She stopped mid-thought and let out a sigh of relief. _Man, that was almost-_

"That's okay!" Lily interjected. "I'm in charge of filming stuff, so you can still see it, even if you're not there!"

Saki's eye twitched. _Th-that's not why we're having you film, Shrimpy!_

He turned toward her, a beaming smile on his face. "That's great! I can't wait to see it!"

 _C-crap!_ She looked away and gritted her teeth. _Now what am I gonna do?!_

Ai seemed shocked as well, but this shock was quickly overwritten with concern as she glanced at Saki then leaned back to whisper in Junko's ear.

The older girl listened for a second then also looked over at her. "Oh, I see… I'll mention it to her." She pecked her lover on the cheek then stood up. "Dad, do you mind if I borrow Saki for a few minutes? She promised me I could braid her hair."

The blonde perked up at the sound of her name and turned back to the room. "Huh?"

"Of course!" Takeo answered, now looking back at Junko. "Ai, Lily, and I can finish this part on our own. You two have fun."

"Thank you." Junko bowed lightly and stepped out of the bedframe. She gave Saki a friendly smile as she walked over. "Don't worry. This will be fun."

It only took her a second to piece back together what had just happened. She sighed and put her arms up behind her head. "Yeah, yeah, let's just get this over with."

"I wanna see it when it's done!" Lily declared.

"Don't worry, you will," Junko replied. She traveled down the hall to her room, the other zombie behind her, and stepped inside. "Go ahead and take a seat on the bed. I'll grab what we need from the bathroom."

Saki shut the door behind her with her foot and flopped onto the bed. Though it was her first time in a while she'd just been able to relax, she didn't; her mind was racing. _Sis is totally gonna show Takeo that video… what am I gonna do? Asking her won't work, she'll totally do it anyways. I could take her off the filming job, but then she'd be all whiny and crap… plus, who else could do it? It's not like I could just slap someone else there, it wouldn't be as good. I'd have to talk with Maria…_ She groaned and facepalmed. _Damn it, she wouldn't get it! And it'd be so damn awkward-_

"Could you take off your jacket, please?" Junko asked.

She snapped back to reality and pushed herself up to see the white-and-blue-haired girl walking back from the bathroom, with a brush and multiple hair ties in her hands. "Oh, uh, sure." She slipped out of her jacket, tossed it across the room to the chair in the corner, and crossed her legs. "Okay, go ahead."

She climbed onto the bed and took a seat behind her, crossing her legs as well. She placed down the tools beside her and began using her delicate fingers to undo Saki's ponytail. "Thank you for letting me do this," she started. "I've wanted to since that time we were at Drive-In Tori together."

She waved a hand nonchalantly. "No problem. You deserve it after that crap I pulled yesterday." She felt the hands working through her hair and gently closed her eyes again. _Okay, okay, think. I gotta figure out a way to make this work. She already told him that she would show him it, so my only options are-_

"I also thought this might be a good opportunity to check in on you."

"Huh- ow!" She started to turn around but was held in place by her hair. She brought a hand up to the back of her head and instead looked across the room into the bathroom mirror, which was coincidentally reflecting the two of them. "Check in on me?"

"Mostly in regards to… our adoption."

"Oh…" She averted her gaze and dropped her hands to her lap. _Guess I can worry about that later…_ She took a deep breath. "Sure. Ask away."

She pulled apart the main knot holding her hair in place, allowing it to fall across her back, and ran her hands through it. "I heard you were working on fighting your instincts."

"Well, yeah…" She shifted around in her seat. "The old man made me kinda jumpy way back when, and that's been pretty annoying. I know Takeo's not like him, and he's not gonna do the same stuff he did. So I'm tryin' to not be all jumpy and crap."

She nodded softly. "I'm glad." She picked up the brush and started straightening the hair, making sure to undo any knotted-up hairs slowly so as to avoid hurting her. "Do you think you're starting to see the merit in having a good father?"

"Uh…" She looked down. "I mean, it's alright, I guess, but… I'm still only doin' this 'cause you guys wanted me to."

"That's okay. I just thought I'd ask, since you're progressing much faster than we'd expected."

She perked back up. "For real?"

"Yes. We thought it would have taken you at least a week to get to where you are now."

She grinned proudly. "Well, what can I say? Doesn't matter if I'm speeding through the streets or dealing with Takeo, I take life fast!"

A little giggle escaped her lips. "Though, we are zombies, so wouldn't it be afterlife…?"

"Same thing!"

This made her laugh a little louder, which was enough to get Saki laughing, too. They both happily shared their moment of comedy before calmly returning to tranquil silence. It was a full minute before one of them finally spoke again.

"If I'm being honest," Junko stated, splitting the blonde mass into three long strands, "it's sort of surprising that you haven't relapsed at all."

"Huh? Relapsed?" Saki asked.

"Well, you had one consistent mindset for all of your teenage years, and now…" She paused to consider how to say what she wanted to say. "It's all suddenly changing so fast, and that must be stressful. I'm sure you've thought about how it might be easier to just go back to the way things were."

She took in what she'd said and took a deep breath. "Yeah, I can see where you're comin' from. It's pretty damn easy to just give up." Then, with a smirk, she flexed her muscles into the mirror, admiring herself. "But you have any idea who I am? I'm the first captain of Dorami, bitch! And lemme tell ya, I ain't one to quit!"

This garnered a chuckle from the older girl. "I wish I had your confidence."

"Hey, you got guts, so that's worth somethin'!" She relaxed her muscles and gave her a sweet smile. "Plus, I'm doing this for you guys, y'know. You wanna see me get better, and I don't wanna let you down."

"That's great," she smiled. She began crossing the strands in a french braid and smoothly changed the subject. "On that note, do you think you're ready to move on to the next stage yet? Of having a father, I mean."

Her face shifted to one of surprise. "Uh…" She gently scratched her chin as she glanced to the side, now a bit nervous. "Depends on what it is."

"Well, I don't think you'll like it that much…"

 _Oh, great._ She let out an unenthused sigh. "Figures… Just tell me what it is."

She wrapped a hair tie around her wrist and delicately continued crossing the strands. "Once you feel like-" She stopped herself as the sound of the doorknob turning reached her ears and she immediately turned to it.

Just then, the door to the room swung open, and in stepped Ai, seeming very relieved. She gave the two on the bed a small wave. "Hey, you two. Am I interrupting anything?"

Junko blinked and shook her head. "Not at all. I thought you were taking apart the bed?"

She tilted her head to the side to indicate something outside. "Yeah, I got Lily to switch with me." She walked into the room, shutting the door behind her, and let out a deep breath. "For someone with so much energy, she really does seem to like just standing there and watching us. It's HER bed, for god's sake."

"Someone sounds pissed," Saki snickered under her breath. This made Junko let out a little chuckle.

Ai gave the blonde a quick glare then rolled her eyes. "Whatever. I'm done for now, anyways, since I've been helping from the start." She made her way to her side of the bed and picked up a water bottle that was on her nightstand. "Don't mind me. I'll be out in a second." With that, she lifted it to her mouth and started a long sip.

"Actually, I was just about to get to what you mentioned," Junko said. "Maybe you could help explain it? It is your plan, after all."

 _Oh, it's Ai's plan, huh?_ Saki twisted her head slightly in an attempt to see the girls behind her. _I should've known._

Ai glanced at the pair briefly then lowered the water and started screwing the cap back on. "Sure. How much of it have you told her?"

"I've only-"

"She was just finishing up tellin' me how much I'll hate it," Saki replied snarkily.

Junko turned back to her, a flustered look appearing on her face. "That's not what I said!" she protested. She turned back to Ai. "That's not what I said."

"I'm fully aware," she shot back blankly. She walked around to the foot of the bed, where she glared at the blonde. "You're ridiculous. You know that, right?"

She snickered mischievously. "Yeah, yeah! Just get on with the plan or whatever already!"

She sighed and put her hands on her hips. "Basically, once you're comfortable being around our new dad, we're going to have you open up to him a little more. He doesn't actually know that much about you that we haven't told him, so the idea is that he can be a better father if you're more open about who you are and how you feel. It's just one of the steps we need to take in order for him to help you."

Immediately, Saki's relaxed attitude faded into stillness. She stared at her for a second then slowly turned away. "Y-yeah, no thanks."

"Well, I'm not saying right NOW, I'm saying later on. The only reason I mention it is that-"

"I heard you," she said coldly. "I said no."

Junko paused.

A skeptical eyebrow raised on Ai's forehead. "No as in, never?"

Saki glared back at her. "What are ya, deaf?! Yeah, never!"

She seemed somewhat surprised by this reaction and froze for a second. Her hands dropped from her hips. "Why not?"

She sulked. "Spending time around him is one thing. But you expect me to spill my whole life story to this dude just 'cause you want me to? It ain't happening!"

She shot a quick glance at Junko over her shoulder then looked back at the blonde. She bent down slightly to get more on her level. "What if it's just things like your hobbies, interests, likes, and dislikes?"

"Still no," she declared, crossing her arms.

"Why not?"

"Don't wanna."

"Okay, but why don't you?"

"Just 'cause."

"'Just 'cause'?"

"Yup."

A blank stare encompassed her entire face. She let out a frustrated sigh and facepalmed. "Fantastic…" she muttered under her breath. She peeked through her fingers at the zombie before her. "I thought you were listening to us now."

"I listen to you plenty!" she remarked, coupled with a roll of her eyes. "You guys are the ones who're having me do this whole 'adoption' thing!"

"We're doing it to help you. Why is this what you're saying no on?"

"I just don't wanna, okay?!" she groaned. "Isn't there anything ELSE I can do instead?"

She made no response. Instead, she brought her hand to her chin and began thinking silently.

Junko leaned to the side and gave her a concerned look. "Maybe we should wait a little longer before we talk about this. She clearly isn't-"

"No, no, hold on," she rejected. "I think I get it." She eyed her for another second then gave the blonde her usual determined questioning look. "I don't think that you really want to hide everything from him, do you? You care about his opinion. You care so much that you don't want to risk telling him anything he doesn't like."

Saki's eyes shot open. "That's a load of crap!" she snarled. "I don't give a damn what he thinks about me! I don't give a damn what ANYONE thinks about me!"

"Then why were you so obviously hurt when he laughed at Dorami's goal of taking over the country?"

She froze completely in place. "Wh…" Her mind paused to process and she realized that she was right - she'd been completely offended by him just minutes prior, and she hadn't even realized it. A short silence passed before she let her hands fall to her sides grumpily. "Why do you always gotta call me out on stuff, man?"

Junko unsuccessfully stifled a laugh behind her.

"Like I said, it was obvious," Ai retorted, cracking a humored smirk. "You can't miss that kind of awkwardness."

With the two girls around her reacting the way they had, Saki couldn't help but smirk as well. She let her head tilt backwards slightly as a sheepish chuckle escaped her lungs. "Yeah, I guess it was pretty obvious…" she admitted.

Now that the tension in the room had ceased, Junko picked back up where she left off on the braiding. Her gentle hands again crossed the strands, continuing the french braid she'd started earlier.

"So…" Ai bent down even more to get even more on her level. "You DO give a damn what he thinks, don't you?"

She sat still for a second then crossed her arms again. "Yeah, I guess, maybe a little."

"That's what I thought." She dropped down to the hardwood floor and took a seat before her, wrapping her arms around her knees. "Is there anything else you'd like to admit?"

She pondered for a second. "One time, when I was seventeen, I stole, like, eight shopping carts from some store just so I could dump 'em in the river."

Ai's look became a blank stare. "I meant more in-line with what we were talking about."

"Then I got nothing else to say."

She raised an eyebrow. "What about the reason you don't want to share anything with him?"

She blinked. _Why don't I…?_ That question got her thinking. She hadn't even considered it last time she answered, since she was still hiding behind that mental wall she tended to make for herself. Did she even have a reason? _I guess it's sorta instinct… I've been hiding crap since the old man was-_ She stopped and then suddenly clamped both hands to the sides of her head and moaned in distress. "Awh, damn it!"

"What?!" "What is it?!" Both of her sisters jumped in shock, ready to leap into action.

"It's the old man again!" she cursed. "He's the damn reason why! How the hell didn't I figure that out sooner?!"

The duo each took a second to realize what had happened then each independently relaxed themselves. "Oh." Junko released the blonde hair in her hands and instead leaned forward to wrap her arms around her body, softly hugging her. "It's okay."

"Don't feel bad," Ai added, reaching up and touching a palm to her shin. "It's not easy to realize something like that."

She let herself fall into the hug from behind and moaned in frustration. "Ugh, my stupid head… what a pain in the ass!" She turned her head to face Junko's. "You guys have no idea how much this sucks."

"You're right," she nodded, "we couldn't possibly know." She gave her gaze to Ai on the floor and offered a sort of I'm-surprised-that-we-got-it-out-of-her-so-fast-but-whatever-let's-just-go-with-it shrug.

She took note of this, raised her fist to her mouth, and cleared her throat. "So, anyways…"

Saki snapped back to reality and sat up. "Oh, right!" She gave her full attention to her sister on the floor.

The two stared at each other in complete silence, each clearly expecting the other to take the initiative and speak first. Junko watched this awkwardness for a moment then gently sighed and picked back up where she left off on her braiding.

After a minute, Saki bashfully scratched at her chin. "Okay, so, yeah, it's the old man." She somberly looked to the side. "I used to have to hide everything from him. Guess I'm still doing it." She took another second then glanced back at her. "Sorry for giving you a hard time."

"It's whatever," she replied. "I'm used to it by now. I take it that means that you'd be willing to give opening up to him a shot?"

In her eyes flared a flame of determination and she flashed a confident smile. "You kidding me? Fighting instincts is my thing now!" For a moment, she was eager and ready, but a looming feeling in the back of her mind forced its way through and her grin slowly shrank. "But…"

"But?" Ai questioned, tilting her head.

She looked down. "I… still don't feel great about this for some reason. I dunno." She sighed again. "I wanna break away from my old man, but Takeo…"

She gazed at her silently then tilted her head down to stare at her knees. "Well, I can't say I blame you…" She bit her lip then blushed as she turned to the side. "I guess I sort of feel the same way."

Both Saki and Junko jerked their heads toward her. "Huh?" Saki questioned.

The blush on her face brightened slightly. "It's not a big deal or anything, it's just… I'm trying to warm up to being adopted, but it's harder than I thought." She pressed a fist to her cheek. "I thought I'd set a goal for myself and try to talk to him about my parents, but…"

There was a brief silence before Junko spoke up as well. "I wasn't going to say anything," she mumbled, a little flustered, "but I also… feel… similar."

Saki glanced between the girl in the mirror and the girl on the floor. _Huh…!_ She'd actually forgotten that she wasn't the only one going through this whole adoption deal. "So… all that crap about opening up to him-"

"Yeah, yeah, I'm a hypocrite, I know." Ai sort of shrugged and nonchalantly looked up at her. "To be fair, though, you didn't even WANT to. Junko and I do. So I think that pushing that agenda on you was justified."

She thought about it for a second then looked away. _She's got a point, I guess._

"Regarding my… issues," Junko said quietly, "I've been talking with Ai a lot, but my goal is to talk to him… After all, he is supposed to be… my new father." Her braiding slowed to a crawl as her voice dried out. "It's so difficult, though… far more difficult than I was expecting."

"Hey, hey, you okay?" Saki prodded, turning slightly.

"I'm fine." She resumed her braid at the regular rate. "I just wish I could talk to him as easily as Lily does."

"She's known him her whole life," Ai retorted. "Of course it's easy for her to talk to him. It comes naturally to her." She sulked into her knees. "But on the other hand, there's me, who can't even work up the courage to ASK him to talk." Her eyes passed over to Junko. "I was really surprised when you invited him to the rally. I thought that if anyone would, it'd be Lily, but…"

"It was something I thought of in the heat of the moment," she answered. "I thought it would be a good way to show him what we do… And maybe that would make talking to him easier." She swallowed. "Though… I should have asked you two first. I'm sorry."

"I'm okay with it," Ai assured. "But Saki might not agree."

"Huh?" The blonde seemed surprised, then a bit guilty. She slouched over and turned her gaze away. "Well, uh, y'know…"

"We saw the way you reacted when she said she'd show him the videos from tomorrow," she explained. "It's actually why we decided to bring this whole conversation up NOW instead of later. I thought you might try to stop her from showing him somehow."

She rolled her head back over to her with a blank look. "Oh, c'mon, Bandages. Who do you think I am? Yeah, I thought about it, but it's not like I was actually gonna do it." That was a lie and she knew it, but she was well aware that if she admitted her plotting she'd get quite the earful from her.

She seemed satisfied by this answer. "Good. Then we'll let her show him the video then go from there."

Saki felt Junko nod behind her and nodded as well. _Guess he's gonna see it after all…_ she gulped. Now her audience wasn't just Saga, but the man who thought he was her father as well. It made her anxious.

The white-haired girl held the braid in one hand for a second and used the other to gently rub Saki's shoulder. "Don't worry," she cooed, "I'm sure he'll like it."

She glanced at the hand for a second then looked back forward. "Whatever you say."

She smiled and continued the braid silently, her cold fingers delicately weaving the strands together. After a moment, she used her teeth to force the hair tie on her wrist up to her fingers and looped it around the hair a few times. Finally, she let go, allowing the multicolored hair to fall against her back. "It's done."

"Finally!" She bounded off the bed, landing on her feet, and walked over to the bathroom mirror. Sure enough, her long ponytail had been entirely replaced by an enormous french braid that went down to her waist. _For crying out loud…_

"Well? What do you think?" Ai asked, a smug grin resting upon her lips.

"I look like some kinda Disney princess," she groused back, turning her head from side to side to get a better look. "And it feels heavy."

"It's the same weight as before."

"Still feels heavier."

Junko walked past her and set the brush she'd used back down on the counter. "Regardless of how you feel about it, thank you for letting me do this."

"Yeah, yeah, don't even worry about it!" She waved her hand nonchalantly then put on a challenging look. "But I swear, someday I'll put you in a mohawk."

She laughed. "Never in a thousand years."

Ai rolled her eyes with a smile and pushed herself to her feet. "Well, now that that's over, we should get back out there." She made her way over to the bedroom door and swung it open. "Come on, you two."

"Of course." Junko hurried over, followed by Saki, whose demeanor was a lot more carefree. They joined her at her side and accompanied her into and down the hallway. They reached the other room within a few seconds, Ai in front, and stopped in the doorway. "We're done!" Junko announced.

Inside, the bedframe that they had been taking apart had been disassembled completely. Each piece was set aside, and the main four that formed the perimeter of the frame were currently stacked on top of one another. Takeo and Lily were sitting on top of this stack side-by-side. At Junko's calling, the younger of the two gasped and leapt to her feet. "I wanna see! I wanna see!"

The black-and-red-haired girl stepped to the side, revealing the blonde in all her glorious embarrassment.

She gasped and bolted up to her. She began encircling her, seeing the braid from every angle. "Wow! It looks so good! You did such a good job, Junko-chan!"

"Thank you."

 _Jeez…_ Saki watched the girl for a second before bringing her gaze to Takeo one last time. She stared at the smile on his face. _Takeo… How's he gonna react to the rally…?_ She slipped her hands into her pockets and twiddled with her phone. _What if he…?_ A shiver went down her spine and she clenched her eyes shut. _No, no. He's… not gonna do that. I know he wouldn't do that._ She let out a deep sigh and reopened her eyes, this time glancing to the side. _I should just wait and see._

Beside her, there was a gentle gasp from Junko. "I remember now!"

Saki turned to her with a raised eyebrow. "Remember what?"

"What I was going to ask you when I came in."

"Oh, cool! What's up?"

Her eyebrows lowered, displaying a sudden blank look. "What on earth happened to your bike?"

* * *

 _A/N: Holy shit, I thought this day would never arrive! I was actually in disbelief when I wrote that last part and I was just like "Wait... It's done? For real?" Wow! I'm sorry this took so long. If you read my update post, you know a combination of school, family, and writing issues contributed to this ridiculous gap between updates. Thankfully, all that stuff is GONE, so I can focus on writing again! (I'm really happy about this, can you tell?) Anyways, next chapter should be out soon! Hope you're looking forward to it!_

 _P.S.: If you already reviewed my update post while signed in, Fanfiction won't let you review this. So if you're gonna review, do so as a guest! Thanks!_


	150. Update on 'The Supper'

UPDATE 4/2: Hey all! Me here... again. Sheesh, here I am writing another update post in place of a chapter. I've become such a crappy writer! "One more week," I say, expecting myself to wake up one day and just jot down 5,000 words in one sitting. To the folks who keep asking me to write update posts, thanks for snapping me out of it... again.

So, yeah, chapter's coming along slowly. The biggest reason for this is that I'm currently stuck at my parents' house because of the you-know-what, and being here really depresses the shit out of me. I've been doing a lot of sleeping, and when I'm not sleeping, I'm usually playing Animal Crossing. I try to write often, but whenever I get stuck, instead of stopping and thinking of a way out of it, I shrug and go, "It'll come to me later," and play Animal Crossing. Depression really is a bitch.

So, sorry my writing has taken such a hit. If I were still at college, it probably would be out by now, but this place brings up a lot of bad memories and therefore brings out some of my worst qualities. I truly don't want this thing to take much longer; the five month wait for the last chapter really made me feel like shit. So I'll work toward putting more energy into my writing starting today. Knowing that there are people out there waiting to read my work does put a smile on my face in an otherwise dreary time.

Thanks for all your support!

Sincerely,  
JadedBanana

* * *

UPDATE 4/25: Yikes, I've been getting urged hard to make a follow-up update post. Yeah, it's been a minute, I'm sorry. Here's what's going on.

Chapter progress is going well, but not as well as I'd like - as you could probably tell. Luckily, this chapter is a bit easier to write than the last one, so I'm making consistent progress. I'd probably be faster if I weren't being forced into manual labor by my parents, but hey, what can you do. Rest assured, there's no way I could ever stop writing this thing without finishing it. I'll finish this fic if it fucking kills me. Hopefully this chapter should be out within the next few weeks. (Sorry!)

Please don't nag me about updating; if anything, it just makes me feel guilty and decreases the quality of writing. If you're waiting for me to update this fic and you're bored, try checking out something else in the meantime. I highly recommend Fyras14's 'Franchouchou Feat'. KeroZombie's 'From the Ashes' is great, too!

Thanks for your continued support!

JadedBanana

* * *

UPDATE 6/8: Okay, okay. I hear you. Here's another update.

Chapter is near completion, but there are some parts I'm not happy with and have gone back and started changing. Truth be told, I kind of stalled out on Sakura's development for a while, and I'm not proud of myself for that. I'm trying to squeeze details in while keeping the flow good, which is easier said than done. But the real reason this chapter has taken so long is the stuff that's changed in my life.

Thankfully, my internship wasn't canceled because of the virus. However, that means I have to wake up at 6 AM and don't get home until 5 PM. This eats up enough time as-is, but I ALSO have a lot more responsibilities now. Do any of you know how to use an iron? Because I'm pretty sure I fucking suck at it; it takes forever, I burn my fingers every time, and the clothes come out of it looking only mildly better. It's awful. I'm also taking an online class to get ahead on my degree (though I procrastinate working on it (and I'm procrastinating right now by writing this - how meta!)). I've totally given up on having a balanced diet, but I try to at least not microwave everything I eat. To any of you reading this who aren't full-blown adults yet, have fun while it lasts. It's not pretty.

I need to assure that there is absolutely no way in HELL that I am abandoning this thing. I don't care if it takes me five years to write, I NEED to finish this. I've spent countless hours planning and drawing charts for character development and it just would eat away at my soul if I never gave this a proper end. Please rest assured that the chapter _will be out_... I just don't know when. That said, I'll keep at it, but right now I need to take a stupid c++ quiz.

Thanks!

JadedBanana


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